A wandering soul
by BlackBlaze
Summary: It's been nineteen years since the Last Battle, and still after all those long years, someone still remained behind, unknown to him. Not to mention that there are three children who are scheming something devious and illegal
1. The Host

**A/N: This is a fanfiction based off of the HP universe after the war. It focuses around Some of the children such as Harry's son James and George's son, Fred. Also please note that some information is true to the information JKR has released and some of it while other information is different. For example: George married someone else, Charlie actually has children, etc. **

**On a final note, this chapter is rewritten. I changes many things from the other story (even though it was only a chapter long). I hope you enjoy it since I've decided to pick it back up after so long.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the story line. This is just for fun *smiles***

Chapter 1

Thunder rolled overhead as a young teen leaned up against a brick wall, staring up at the violent clouds. His bright silver blue eyes looked up when a raindrop fell on his face. "What a great day to go back to school." He muttered to himself. The teenager didn't want to go back to school, but what else could he do.

He ran a hand through his strawberry blonde hair that had a dark red base by his skull, shaking the fresh drops of water off before pulling up his dull orange hood on his hoodie. He glanced over to see that his trunk with the initials F.W. on it was starting to get wet. Sighing, he grabbed the handle and started to walk into the station and go to Platform 9 and ¾. He had slipped away from his parents when he first arrived because he knew that they were going to meet with all the other relatives that were going to Hogwarts. This year six of his cousins and himself would be going to Hogwarts.

He pulled his trunk through the wall as he leisurely walked through. His dad had the rest of his stuff where he may be. Finding himself on the other side of the barrier, his eyes scanned the crowd of witches and wizards for a massive group of redheads. It wasn't too hard to locate the mass of Weasleys. He sighed, knowing the noise fest was about to begin.

The strawberry blonde trudged up to his dad, who was talking to his uncle Percy. He knew he was different from most his cousins because he didn't want to be in the large get-togethers while the rest of them did. He noticed his uncle's nod towards him, letting his dad know that he had appeared.

His father turned to look at him. "Where've you been, Fred?" He asked. Unlike his mother, his dad didn't mind when he ran off to be alone.

He shrugged. "Out at the entrance."

His dad put his hand on the teen's head and rubbed his blonde red hair. "That's fine, but go say goodbye to your mother before she has a heart attack."

Fred nodded and looked around to locate his mother. She was easy to find in the sea of red. She was tan with gorgeous blonde hair and had on a pale green coat. She was talking animatedly with his Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill, who had large scars on the side of his face. It wasn't long before her silvery blue eyes moved over and spotted her only son. She motioned for him to come to her.

"Hey there kiddo." Bill said with a large smile. "Are you ready for school this year?"

"Ah… yeah, I guess."

Bill laughed. "I hear you're pretty smart and only in your second year. Are you going to be on the Quidditch team with James?"

The teen shrugged. "I promised I'd try out for the Chaser and Seeker positions. I don't know if I'll like it… all those people…" He trailed off.

Bill knew about Fred not liking big crowds, in fact, all the adults knew that he didn't want to join in with the group activities and many of them thought it was quite unusual.

"I was wondering where you ran off to young man." His mother said. "Were you looking for James and Albus?"

He shook his head. "No. They won't show up until the train starts to pull away." He said with a small smile.

Bill busted out laughing. "So true! I love this kid. Unlike that that one kid, what's his name? Louis?"

Fleur hit her husband's arm. "Quit messing with 'im, Bill. Louis will think that you don't love 'im."

"He doesn't love me." Bill muttered.

Fred shook his head. Right then, the whistle blew for the students to get on. His mother wrapped her arms around him. "Be good, okay? I'll miss you."

Hugging her back, he looked over her shoulder to see his dad smiling at him. He waved at him as he pulled himself from his mother's grip and stood up in front of his dad. "You can cause a little trouble if you really want to. A few marks on your record isn't _that_bad, Fred." The man was greeted with an elbow to the stomach.

"Don't listen to him! He's such a bad influence." His mother replied harshly.

He grabbed his trunk and pulled the rest of his items onto the train. There were people crowding the pathway, making the search for a compartment rough. It took some shoving before he broke through to an empty one. Lifting his trunk, he shoved it into the upper compartment. He was glad he didn't have any creatures, dragging them around would have been much too troublesome.

The door slid open not a few moments later and three teens his age made their way in. "How'ya been, Fred?" The first boy asked. He had short, dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was the tallest of the three. Third year Shilus Finnigan of Gryffindor.

"Yo." Willis Longbottom said, raising one hand to greet him, following after Shilus. His hair was a tame dirty blond, and his eyes were hazel. He was also a third year in Gryffindor.

The final teen to come in had tame, platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He stood out in the Weasley family just as much as Fred did. He was the youngest child and only son of Bill and Fleur. He usually had a calm demeanor about him and was fairly calm. The main thing that made the two cousins so different was that Louis liked to be in big groups and converse with people all the time while he himself preferred solitude.

He stared down at his cousin. "Are these two telling me the truth?"

Fred glanced up at his cousin. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. They told me you're jumping up to third year level with us."

Fred looked out the window, not too pleased with the two loudmouths. "Yeah. It's true." He knew that everyone was going to find out eventually. "Fred Weasley, third year."

"That's awesome, man." Shilus said, taking a seat next to the red head. "You're finally in the grade you're supposed to be."

"How'd you pull that off?" Louis asked.

Fred sighed as Will explained. "He asked McGonagall last year at Christmas if there was any way he could jump up a year since his mom held him back before she would let him go." Fred was twelve going into his first year while everyone else around him had only been eleven.

Louis nodded, completely understanding. "I see. But nobody else knows? How'd you get your books?"

Fred turned and looked at him. "I went with James since both my mom and dad had to work. Not too hard to sneak away when James is around." He smiled a bit at James running around Diagon Ally. "Also, other than you guys, nobody else knows. I'm going to write my parents tonight and tell them so there's no face to face confrontation."

Louis smirked. "I see. You know, you're quite the sneaky guy. You'll be with us in the dorms, right?"

Fred shrugged. "I would assume so. I have to talk to Professor Longbottom after dinner concerning my schedule-"

"FREDDIE!!!!!" The compartment door slammed open, causing the glass to shatter.

Shilus rolled his eyes. "Oh boy, here comes Fred's guardian."

The boy was fairly tall, and easily the tallest in the compartment with five now occupying it. His hair was chin length onyx black and wild. His eyes were bright and brown as he located the person he was looking for. "Freddie! Where were you? I looked all over for you."

"When'd you have the chance to look for him, when you were running past the windows to find an open door to catch the train?" Louis teased.

The fourteen year old was none other than James Potter. He was a near identical clone to when his father was younger only he had his mother's eyes and his hair was much longer and shaggier than his father's had been. He was more of the wild, rouge side that Harry never had. He had a huge red welt on his arm.

"Hey, shut it. I simply came to grace you boys with my presence and check on my lovely cousins." He said in a bold voice. He wasn't ashamed to tease or badmouth someone when the time was appropriate.

"I didn't hear you calling out for me, James." Louis said with a slightly irritated glance.

James looked down at him. "Oh, Lucy… I didn't notice you were there my dear." He said with a devilish smirk on his face.

"It's Louis! Quit calling me by our cousin's name!" He yelled, his fist balled up.

James closed one eye as he shrugged, his grin still intact. "Sorry, I get them mixed up."

Fred knew this would happen. He pulled out his wand and silently repaired the broken window without muttering a word… something that most didn't start to learn until their sixth year.

His wand was very rare around these parts. It was made out of a rare Japanese wood that his cousin Rei, Charlie's oldest son who was located in Japan, had sent to him when he was about to buy his wand. His uncle Charlie had sent him the powder of a ground dragon scale from Australia. The dragon was a rare breed, just discover by his uncle a few years ago and that's why Charlie's remaining three children were either attending an Australian school or about to attend. With the Japanese wood from a tree that Rei wouldn't tell him about and the powdered scale his uncle sent, the wand was made to match him. Olivander, his new apprentice, and Fred himself worked together to create his wand. It was eleven inches and a dull, navy blue color while the grip was black.

An arm was suddenly found wrapped around his neck. He knew better than to struggle because it made the game that much more fun to James. "The big third year Freddie-"

"You mean James knew too?! How did he manage to keep that from everyone?" Louis exclaimed.

James gave his younger cousin a dirty look. "Do you think I could get away with everything I do if I couldn't keep a few things hush hush every now and then? Now then, back to you, buddy." He said, turning to the empty seat that Fred had recently occupied. "Eh? Where'd he go?" He muttered.

The others shrugged. Fred had long since snuck out through the door and had disappeared. He had done this last year as well, not appearing until the end of the ride.

Fred smiled to himself as he opened the door to the back of the train, past the toilets. There was a ladder against the wall that led to the roof of the train. He used all his might to force the hatch open. Climbing out, he shut the large door and crawled a little ways up the train until his found the small area that was flat and down in a small whole. He laid down in it and closed his eyes, thankful that the train was currently moving faster than the storm.

Fred loved to move fast. He loved the wind as it rushed past him and that's the reason that he agreed to try out for the Quidditch team. He already had a broom as well. Closing his eyes, he let sleep take over, not getting much last night.

XxX

The three third years were playing a game of cards as the rain crashed heavily on the windows. "Oh… I can't believe how fast this storm showed up." Willis said in awe. He put down two cards and picked one up. "I thought we were ahead of the majority of it."

A candle was lit and floating above the boys. "It must've been a lot worse than what we were expecting. I mean, we can't see anything out there." Shilus muttered as he picked up a card.

Louis yawned. "Speaking of things coming out of nowhere, look who decided to show up." He said, giving a side glance to Fred.

His appearance looked normal at first glance, but when the boys did a double take, they noticed that Fred was dripping wet.

"Where've you been?" Shilus asked with a small chuckle.

Fred simply tightened his mouth and pulled off his shirt and pants. "Hey now! No stripping!" Louis yelled.

Will and Shilus laughed. "How can you just do that? Do you have no modesty?" Will asked.

"Modesty? Who needs something like that? It'd make the world boring!" James said as he too, reappeared. He glanced down at Fred as he leaned on the doorframe. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah. Stupid rain." He glanced over to see that his cousin lacked most his cloths as well. Both cousins stood wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. There was a sudden cry behind the shaggy haired teen, causing him to glance over his shoulder.

Three girls stood at the door behind him. The first one was Rose, his younger cousin. She had long, wavy red hair with bangs and brown eyes. She was already changed into her black robes. Her hands were covering her mouth and her eyes were nearly popping out of her head.

The second girl was someone none of them knew, but she was just as horrified as Rose. She had short black hair and brown eyes.

The third and final girl was a fourth year in Ravenclaw. She had the trademark red hair of the Weasleys, only unlike Rose's, hers was very strait. She had very deep, intelligent blue eyes. Unlike the two first year girls, she was less affected by the mass showing of skin.

"James. Could you please refrain from stripping in front of everyone? You may have just permanently scarred these two for life." Molly Weasley, oldest daughter of Percy and Audrey Weasley, said as she pointed to the younger girls.

He turned and bent down to the black haired girl. "What? You don't think I have a good looking body?! Look here." He flexed his arm. "That's nice, right? You can touch them if you want." He smiled, but Molly could tell his devilish intent.

"Please don't sexually harass the first years you pervert. Get some cloths on before someone else sees you running around naked?" She glanced over to Fred. "You too, Fred."

She turned and shooed the two girls away. James leaned out of the compartment and yelled at Molly. "Listen here, you! I am NOT Naked! I still have my boxers on and if you think about it, you're the pervert because it only looks like I have swimming trunks on!" He leaned back in and took a seat next to Fred, who had already pulled out some cloths from his trunk. "That girl. She's secretly got a dirty mind."

The four third years stared at him. "James… go and get some clothes on." Louis muttered as he threw down another card. "Shouldn't you be with Albus, anyways? I'm sure you can torment him about going into Slytherin just a bit more before we get to the castle."

James sighed. "Does nobody love me?" When nobody answered, he turned his head sharply at Fred. "Hey! I'd expect that kind of yankee reply from those gits over there, but you, Freddie?! Give me a hug and tell me you love me!" He quickly wrapped his naked torso around the red head.

Fred was unprepared for this attack and was caught in a tight lock. "J-james!" He breathed. "You're… I can't… James!" The Potter teen wouldn't let go so Fred did the only thing he could think of. He opened his mouth and latched down on James's arm.

"Ahh!" He pulled away. "You… you bit me." He said, startled. Startling James Potter was something nobody could seem to do other than Fred. "I'll forgive you only if I don't have rabies." He pointed to the Weasley and disappeared.

"Oh boy." Fred sighed. "This year is going to be more troublesome then last year." He muttered.

As the train slowed and everyone started to move off the train, Fred bumped into Albus Potter. The eleven year old had short, messy black hair and the most bright, green eyes he'd ever seen. The boy looked a bit nervous.

"Hello Albus."

Albus jumped a bit. "Oh, hi Fred."

Fred wasn't good at talking with most of his family. Although he could talk to James and Louis, the others… he usually just avoided them. "Don't worry about the house thing, okay. There's a good chance you'll end up in Gryffindor." He tried to smile, but his anti social-ness was too strong.

Albus shrugged. "I'm okay with any house. Actually, I sort of want to be in Slytherin." That almost stopped Fred in his tracks. "Not because I want to be evil or anything, but dad said that one of the best people he ever knew came from Slytherin. I'm actually partially named after him. I want to make it so Slytherin isn't singled out to be evil. I want to unite all the houses together like they're supposed to be."

Fred was shocked by the amount the boy told him. The idea was a good one. If Slytherin could be joined together, then the school would really be united like it was supposed to be. He really did smile this time, which looked as if it shocked the young Potter. "That's a great idea, kid. You better get going, you first years have to go to the school by boat."

After Albus said goodbye, Fred walked on towards the carriages. They were pulled by an invisible force, but Fred could feel that there was something… living… pulling the carts. He found James and pulled himself up into the cart.

"There you are! I've been looking for you. I went to see Albus off but I couldn't find him."

"Ah, well, he was with me. He was talking to me about houses."

"Heh, still terrified that he'll be in Slytherin. Poor boy. He should know that he'll end up in Gryffindor-"

"Well I'm hoping he'll be in Slytherin."

James stopped and slowly looked at his cousin. "Man… I knew you were weird but I never knew you were sick. Don't you know if he was in Slytherin, he'd have to be my enemy for life."

Fred gave him a sideways glare. "Don't be stupid. That's just a myth that shallow people like you follow like it's the bible. Albus is ambitious, and that's a very high quality that Slytherin looked for. Would you really hate Albus if he were in Slytherin?"

James looked up to the black sky. "Well, I don't know. I mean, he'd still be Al, I suppose. I don't think I could ever hate him."

"That's good, since it's your fault that he wants to be in Slytherin." Fred said with a smirk.

"EH?!" James yelled.

XxX

The Sorting Ceremony went along well. Of course, he felt James stiffen up when Albus's turn came closer and closer.

"Potter, Albus." Professor Longbottom called. The hat was dirty and charred in random places as the man held it. He had dark brown hair and a kind face. He wore a pair of brilliant ruby robes that seemed to flow behind him even though he wasn't moving.

After the hat was placed on Al's head, it didn't say anything. James cranked his neck a bit to see his brother. "What's taking so damn long? Just say-"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table called out and clapped as Albus made his way over to the other side of the Great Hall. The Gryffindors, however, all turned to look at James. Even Molly and Dominique, who were located at the Ravenclaw table, stared over at James. Fred stared over at Albus with a smirk, and Albus replied with a wink. Fred was starting to think that he and Albus might get along okay after all.

After dinner, all the students started to head off into their dorms' direction. Fred was off to see Professor Longbottom, who was waiting for him at the end of the Hall. "Good to see you again, Fred. Now, come with me."

Once they were in Professor Longbottom's office, Fred took a seat and looked around the room. It was just the same as last year. Adorned in red and gold, a warm fireplace, and many plants and books within the room as well. Sitting on the edge of his large desk, was a large, green toad.

"Ah, here we go. You've decided to take all your core classes, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You also are taking the Study of Ancient Ruins and Arithmancy. Both difficult but with your amazing marks, you should have no problem with them. I've also moved you into the third year dorms as requested."

"Thank you, Sir."

"But, did you tell your parents?" Longbottom suddenly asked.

Fred swallowed. "No, Sir. I didn't want to deal with my mother. I'm planning on writing a letter to her tonight. It's better if I can't see her."

Longbottom laughed. "You'll probably end up with a Howler, though."

Fred shrugged and turned back into the normal, uncaring Fred. "Yeah well, what's a little yelling through a piece of paper compared to being at home and at the mercy of a mother who wouldn't think twice about locking me in a room and trying to keep me a child."

The man laughed again. "Well yes, I suppose so. Here's your schedule, Fred. I'd give it to you tomorrow but since you're already here…"

"I got it. I'll see you in class, Professor." He said, taking his leave.

"The password is Fiddlemix!" He called after him.

The halls were dark, and the portraits were sleeping soundly. He pulled out his wand and cast _lumos_, lighting the halls he was currently walking in. Unfortunately, he woke up a few of the pictures as well.

"What's the matter with you? Can't you see we're trying to sleep?" One said.

Fred stopped and looked at the picture. "Shut it, will you. You'll wake the others." He muttered before going on his way. He made his way up the winding staircase, having to sometimes wait for a set to come to him before continuing up. He was on the third floor when he cut off to take a short cut. He found the large picture frame with a drunken woman in it.

"'ello my dear… needing my passageway again?" She hiccupped.

"Yes please."

She yawned. "There you go." She said gleefully as her portrait moved. He had to crawl through the first part before he came out to a large, open space. He found the large spiral staircase that led directly to the seventh floor. It wasn't long before he came out behind a statue. It was thanks to James that he knew so many of the passage ways.

There was a large, empty wall to his right as he walked down the corridor. It always seemed strange that the wall was so large and so empty. It was always when he walked by this area that he suddenly felt ill and could hear someone talking to him. He assumed it to be a ghost, but he'd never seen one.

"Hey, you! Stop right there and give me a hand, will ya?" The voice called.

Fred stopped and glared at the wall. "I can't help you if I can't see you. Maybe if you came out-"

"I am out. Maybe I should say, get out of my body."

Fred shook his head. Not this again. "Listen… I'm in _my_ body. I can't give you something that I've lived with for my entire life."

"Okay. I'm going now. If you're not going to show yourself, then I suggest you leave me alone. I need to write a letter to my mother."

"Eh? In trouble already? I like you."

"Well I don't like you. Get lost." Fred finished before walking away.

"No! Wait a second! I was just kidding. Come on back here." Fred stopped and turned back around. "There's a good lad. If that body you're in isn't mine, could you at least help me find mine?"

Fred sighed. "Listen, you're like… a ghost. Meaning you're dead and no longer have a body."

"Kid, if I was a ghost, I think you'd be able to see me. Besides, you're the only one who can hear me. Everyone just ignores me."

"Well, I guess the first thing is for me to be able to see you-"

The voice cut him off. "No! I got a better idea. How about I just hang around in your body for now?"

Fred didn't like that idea. It sounded like possession. "No way."

The voice laughed. "Meh, well, move over because I'm going to anyways."

Fred suddenly felt a rush of wind and a suffocating sensation. If felt… as if something was stopping his lungs from working. "S-stop!" He choked out. Legs giving way, he collapsed onto the solid floor. Sweat poured off his face and his body started to tremble. "Don't…"

But it was all over as soon as it started. "What… did you… do?" Fred choked out.

"_I told you I'm going to hang around in your body for a bit. There's nothing bad about that, is there? You're okay now, right?" _The voice asked.

"No I'm not! I've got a parasite living in me. Get out."

"_Now now, no need to get hateful. Let's get to know each other. My name is-."_

"I don't care." Fred started to walk towards the portrait of the fat lady. He was going to ignore this parasite that shared the same name as him. "Fiddlemix." He said to the woman. She gave him a dirty look for waking her up so late, but let him in nonetheless.

When he walked in, there was no surprise as to who was waiting up for him.

"Freddie!" James called over from the desk. He was writing his own letter to his parents. Most likely about Albus and being in Slytherin. "I was wondering how long it was going to take. Got your schedule set up now?"

Fred nodded. "Yeah. I'm dorming with the third years too, so it's all taken care of except the letter."

"_Letter for what?" _The voice asked.

James stood up. "Here you go, bud. I just finished mine. You can borrow Mytus when you're done." He said pointing to the large bird perched at the open window. Mytus was a hawk, not an owl, so he really wasn't supposed to be here. The bird was black with a tan under belly and under his wings. His tail was a dark red, along with the rings around his eyes that were a glittery silver.

"Thanks." He said as he took a seat and grabbed an empty piece of parchment.

James leaned over him. "Here, use this ink. It's purple man. I can't help but like the color." He said with a smirk.

Fred returned it. "Yeah, but isn't purple a girls color?"

James shrugged. "Nobody ever said colors had genders. I like what I like. They'll get over it someday." He went and took a seat on the couch. It was no surprise that they were the only two still up.

As Fred wrote his letter, it seemed as though the other Fred, the parasite Fred, could see what he was writing in his mind. _"Eh, a letter to mummy? But you think she would be happy about her smart boy going up a grade."_

'_It's because she's the reason I'm a grade lower. She let me go into first year when I was twelve, not eleven. Now she's got one year less with me I suppose.' _Fred thought to the voice.

Once he was done, he sealed it and handed the letter to Mylus, who already had James's letter within his beak. Sighing, he gave James a sideways glance. "Tomorrow is another day."

"Speaking of another day, I want to ask you something." He said with a devilish grin.


	2. The Answer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the story line. This is just for fun *smiles***

Chapter 2

Fred awoke to the sound of people moving around. Slowly, he forced one eye open to battle the rays of sunlight. Groaning, he covered his head with his blanket. Someone forcefully pulled it back. "Wake up. Do you want to miss breakfast?" Louis's voice hovered over him.

"Meh, I don't need to eat. Let me sleep a bit more." He groaned.

Louis's crystal blue eyes stared into Fred's silver blue eyes. "Come on now. I'm the kind one. James will dive bomb you if he comes in here."

Fred took the time to think about his choices. He knew better, so he pulled himself up and dressed quickly. He didn't bother with his hair. It was short and wild anyways.

Breakfast in the Great Hall would have been the same as usual if it weren't for the _two_ letters he received that morning. He glanced over to see that Albus opening his own letter. His eyes then traveled to James, who was seated across from him and looking at the letter from his father.

Fred wasn't sure which one to open first… his father's letter, or his mother's howler. He chose the howler.

"Figured you'd get one of those, mate. Don't worry, I got one too." James said, holding up his own red howler hidden behind his father's letter with a devious smirk.

Fred was confused. "What did you do?"

James laughed. "I got detention for walking around the train with my boxers on. Mum's not going to be pleased. That Molly must have squealed on me." He said, sending his cousin a dirty look at the Ravenclaw table. "I'll take care of her later. You want to go first or me?"

Fred held his up. "Mine. Yours should give everyone a laugh." With that said, he popped the seal.

"FREDRICK WEASLEY!"Echoed throughout the hall. "I'M SURE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! IS THIS YOUR WAY TO PUNISH ME FOR BEING A GOOD MOTHER?! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU. JUST WAIT UNTIL I-" The letter stopped and blew up into flames.

James glanced over to see Fred's wand out, pointing at what was left of the letter. "She's ridiculous sometimes, isn't she? Getting all upset over something as stupid as jumping a grade."

James shrugged and opened his howler next. The letter was humorous, that was true. His aunt Ginny went on and on about decency and that never had anyone in their family pulled such a childish stunt.

As that familiar voice echoed through the hall, Fred opened his father's letter.

_Fred,_

_Good call not telling your mother face to face, but you could have told me. Of course, I'm totally ashamed that my son is such a genius. Haha, you know I'm only joking with you. It's funny how the two most serious of the family ended up in the same grade and dorm. Be sure to help James out with some of his pranks. You never know when something as ridiculous as a prank may turn out to be helpful later in life. I'm serious when saying that too. Just be yourself and I'll deal with your mother. Also, I've given you permission to go to Hogsmeade, so don't fret._

_Your dad_

"Meh, Dad isn't surprised about Albus. I guess I really did turn him to the dark side." James joked. Just then, he let out a horrid groan. "No… History of Magic first thing in the morning?! What sort of sick joke is this? Who thinks I can stay awake during that?" He complained.

Fred smiled. He got his favorite class first thing in the morning. It was his best subject, potions. He couldn't wait to get there and make something. Maybe it'd be a free day and he could experiment. Their potions master was new this year, though.

As they got up to leave, James put his hand on the red head's shoulder. "Let's hear your answer tonight, okay?" He said before walking away.

"_Do it!" _The voice called. _"Do you know how illegal it all is?! It would be… fantastic! Trouble now just means you'll be more prepared for life later. I'm so jealous. If I was in my body I would certainly join in."_

'_That makes me want to do it even less. I could be expelled for something like this.' _Fred thought, irritated.

"_But that's the point. Imagine the rush from it! What's life without a little risk in it?"_

Fred ignored the voice, chanting _"do it, do it," _in his mind.

When he entered Potions, he took a seat next to Louis. The blonde glanced at him. "Hey, you're good at Potions, right? Could you help me out sometime?" He asked.

"Sure. Have you seen the new Professor yet?"

Louis shook his head. "Not yet. He should be here soon-" At that moment, a man appeared behind them.

"Yes, yes, I'm here. Do not fret. You will still be taught Potions." He patted the two boys on the head and strode to the front. "Now, young ones. I am Professor Lucas Reiner. Twenty-one years old, single, for those of you who may have older sisters or cousins around that age." He gave a quick smile.

He was very handsome by the girls' standard. He had soft, short brown hair and piercing grey eyes. Along his neck was a long scar down the left hand side that disappeared below his dark blue robes. "I'm interested in what you all think about Potions. Write me a short bit about how you feel- don't worry, I don't care if you like it not. You don't have to sign your name. Go on then."

He took a seat at the front of the class and waited until everyone was finished. With a quick flip of his wand, all the pieces of parchment were within his hand. "Good good. Now then; _I can't stand it." _He laughed. "Most people do. Let's see; _It's okay, but it's hard._ I get that, too. _It's my best subject. I find it easy and yet challenging at the same time, like a puzzle." _He gave a devious smirk. "I'll find out who this it. He sounds interesting."

"Eh? How could you tell it was a boy, Professor?" A girl asked.

He turned the paper over. "I can tell a boy's hand writing, no matter how neat it appears. He glanced up to see the strawberry blonde teen had his hand up. "Yes?"

"I'll save you the trouble of the hunt. It's mine."

Reiner smirked. "You're the one, eh? And you are?"

"Fred Weasley." He answered.

"Fred Weasley… Fred… Weasley. Ah, here you are. Next to, another Weasley? Who's Louis?" He asked, his head popping up from the book in his hand.

Louis raised his hand. "I am."

He walked up to them and bent down to their level, his grey eyes looking back and forth between the two. "You don't look like brothers."

"That's because they're cousins!" Shilus called from the row behind.

Reiner put his hand on his chin. "Cousins, eh? But still, to have no similarities…"

Louis looked a little embarrassed. "Well, Sir… I'm part Veela."

Many in the class made sounds of awe and wonder. Whispers of "I never knew that" and "He is quite good looking," could be heard around the room. He blushed a bit.

"Veela, eh? I don't think I've ever heard of a male Veela, mixed or not." Reiner replied. "Well, that's of no matter. But it does answer why you two look so different. I can see a bit of resemblance here, in the shape of your eyes, and your jaws as well. I just had to look a little closer is all." He seemed pleased with himself. "Now then, where to begin."

He flipped through his little book. "Hm… How about, I put a few potions on the board right here," he tapped the chalk board, "and you lot pick the one you want to do. You've got the rest of the class, which is well over an hour."

Fred glanced around to see most of the students looking for the simplest potion they could do so they could get good marks. _'No fun in that.'_ He thought as he found the one potion that was not in his third year potion book.

Draught of the Living Death

Fred wasn't stupid. He was well aware that that particular potion was a sixth year N.E.W.T. Level potion because he'd read it in his sister's book a few years back. He closed his eyes and started to recall what was on the pages. Fred was a rare wizard indeed, because he had a photographic memory.

He walked over and found the ingredients that the potion required. He grabbed the valerian roots and started to chop them. He put them in the potion and a blue steam was emitted from the top of his caldron.

The book called for the juices of a sopophorous bean and to cut it up to release them. _'But smashing it would release the most juices and leave out the unnecessary parts.' _He thought as he smashed his bean and put the juice in the potion, turning the liquid a clear lilac color.

Reiner looked around at all the simple potions being made. It made him smile to see that many took the easy way out, only a few decided to try a potion that was third year level. That is, until he noticed the boy who had stated that he enjoyed potions. He stretched his neck to try and see what potion he was working on, since it was nothing like the others. He almost gasped when he recognized the pale pink color. He watched as the boy stirred it counterclockwise for seven turns, then one clockwise. He smirked. _'This kid noticed that the potion wasn't turning the color it was supposed to, so he added an extra stir at the most powerful magical number. He's a smart one.'_

Fred continued to stir the potion until it was finally as clear as the instructions stated in the directions he was recalling. He wiped his forehead and sighed with a smile. But, he jumped, startled, when he noticed that Professor Reiner was sitting on a stool right in front of his caldron. "S-sir!"

Reiner leaned over. "Well well now. I can't believe you were able to make that so easily. That's the clearest Draught of the Living Death that I've ever seen, and I'm a master, young man. I'm not only amazed that you could make it, but without any instructions to boot since this particular potion is not in the third year book. In fact, it's a N.E.W.T. Level potion."

Louis looked up from the third year potion that he had been trying to make. He couldn't believe what Reiner had said. Apparently, neither had the other students. They started to whisper behind the Weasley cousins.

"Thirty points to Gryffindor and, do you mind if I keep this? I would like to test something." Reiner asked. Fred simply nodded. "Great! I'll go get some phials."

After class, many of the students surrounded the two Weasleys.

"I never knew you were that amazing in Potions, Fred!"

"We didn't know you were part Veela, Louis!"

Both boys were uncomfortable about the questions and comments being shot in their direction. Thankfully, the head girl of Hogwarts appeared.

"What's with this mob? Please go to your next class, third years." She said, causing most the students to dart past her.

"Oh no…" Louis muttered.

"Louis? Were you causing that mob? You should know better than to create such misconduct-"

"It wasn't anything like that, Victorie!" Louis yelled at his oldest sister. Victorie was a tall and beautiful young woman that resembled most of what their mother was. She had long, silver blond hair that was in a low braid now and had sharp, blue eyes. She was in her final year, a Gryffindor, and Head Girl.

She sighed. "Then what was it?"

Louis seemed to be embarrassed around his oldest sister. She was like the perfect child in the family, and he was more like the rouge. She strived for perfection while he was content with just passing. "They were just in awe that I was part Veela… that's all."

She glared at him. "There's no reason to flaunt that around."

"There's no reason to be ashamed of it, either!" He yelled back.

Fred slowly glanced around, glad that there was nobody in the corridor to hear them. He was suddenly starting to feel very hot.

"Well, whatever makes you happy. I'm leaving." She turned on her heel and walked away.

Louis's blue eyes glared off after her. "I really hate her."

"No you don't. You guys just don't see things the same." Fred replied. He glanced down and noticed that Louis's books were slightly singed. "Come on, we've got class."

Fred and Louis had never been close, but now that Fred was spending more time with him, he was starting to feel the same thing that he felt when he was around James.

By the end of the day, most of the students were exhausted, but Fred felt as if the day had been easy. Fred was lying on his bed when James fell onto his bed. "Hey there! Did you have a nice day?"

Fred shrugged, not wanting to look away from the book his sister had bought him before he went back to school. It was the first time he'd gotten a chance to read it.

"I heard about Potions. You and Louis standing out, you because you're just awesome in there and Louis because he's a little man harpy."

"Get off it. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal. I know you're not going to like this, but we have some big mouthed relatives, and this is going to get back to our family, meaning all the adults are going to want to gather and talk with you about it."

Fred sighed. "Oh, that. That does suck a bit."

James army crawled up next to him so that they were lying parallel to each other. "So, have you decided yet?" He asked.

Fred groaned and closed his book. "Listen, I can't just jump at the thought like you, James. Something like this is illegal, and more importantly, it's dangerous. Do you really want to go through with this?"

James was just sitting there with a huge grin. "Hell yeah I want to, but the question is, do you? Hey, I'm going to do it with or without you. I just think having someone else there will make it easier."

Fred sat up. "Then why don't you ask Albus?"

James face darkened. "I don't want to drag him into this, at least yet. He's only been here a day. Besides, you're in your third year and you're a genius. I'm not throwing that around lightly, either."

Sighing, Fred looked up. "Then what about Louis?"

James thought about it for a moment. "Well, I was thinking about asking him, too. He wouldn't rat us out, that's for sure. Maybe, but do you think he'd be able to do it?"

Fred shrugged. "Listen. Go see Albus and talk to him, I'm sure he wants to talk to you. After that, I'll have my answer, okay?"

James smirked his usual smirk. "Fine. I'll be back later. You better have an answer!" He called as he tried to roll out of Fred's bed with no success. Landing on the floor, he moaned before jumping up and darting out of the dorm room.

Fred shook his head. He was about to open his book again when he heard something tapping on his window. He looked up and spotted a tan owl with black edging the feathers. He recognized this owl as the head of Gryffindor House, Professor Neville Longbottom. He stood up and took the note in the bird's beak.

Fred Weasley

Come down to my office, please. I would like to discuss your first day.

Professor Longbottom

"Now what does he want?" The redhead groaned. He stood and started to head out of the dorm.

"_Maybe he just wants to ask you about your day… like the letter says." _The voice chimed in his head.

"Be quite, you. And nothing is ever that simple." He muttered as to not attract attention to himself.

He opened the door to Longbottom's office and walked in. "Sir? You wanted to speak with me?"

Longbottom turned around in his chair, his hand holding the news paper. "Oh, yes I did. Did you day go smoothly?"

Fred wouldn't have called Potions smoothly, but he nodded anyways. "Of course. I'm not bragging when I say that I find most of my classes easy and boring."

"Or maybe, boring… because they are easy. You're not being challenged, are you?" Fred shook his head. "Even in Potions, where you were able to make a perfect Draught of the Living Death using your head alone."

Fred averted his eyes. "So you heard about that, did you?"

Longbottom put down the paper and leaned forward in his chair. "I did. Professor Reiner made sure to brag about you as if he created you. I'm just curious how you were able to make it so perfectly with no instructions what-so-ever."

The redhead didn't want anyone to know he had a photographic memory. His parents didn't even know about it. "I'm just good at remembering things, sir."

"But then, where did you read it? Not in your textbook, I'm sure."

Fred sighed. "I read it in my sister's potion book a while back. I can just… recall information like that." He said as he stared at the toad, still sitting in the same place.

Longbottom leaned back a bit. "Your sister, Roxanne, correct?" Fred nodded. "She was quite clever as well, if I'm correct. Head Girl, too. Well, anyways, Professor Reiner has a request of you. Professor!" He called into the fire. It soon turned green and out stepped the young Potions Master.

"Ah, you've brought him here, have you?" He said with a smile. "You are quite talented, Mr. Weasley. I was wondering if you would like to help me out this weekend on something. It's not for a grade, mind you, but I can assure you that you won't be bored and… it involves making potions." Reiner asked.

Fred scowled. "What kind of help?"

"Well, it's at the ministry in the Potions department. We'll be making a type of potion that fights against cursed injuries. It's quite difficult and I thought you might like to join me. I work part time with the Potions department and the Healers as well. What do you say?"

Fred glanced back at Longbottom, who had a kind smile on his face. "Well, okay. Just this weekend?"

Reiner smiled. "Yes. From Friday afternoon until Sunday night. You'll need to get your homework finished early, though, so that you don't have to rush Sunday night."

Fred nodded, not intending to do his homework until Monday morning anyway. "Very well, off with you." Reiner said.

Fred couldn't believe this. It was so out of the ordinary that he was still in a bit of shock. To be able to do something like this was incredible. For once, he was actually excited.

James wasn't there when he returned, but Rose was. He looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She was trying to write something about the transfiguration she had done today, but she seemed to be stuck.

"Do you need help, Rose?" He asked. It startled her a bit.

"N-no… I can figure it out."

He read over her notes. "You transfigured a match into a needle? What do you have to write about?"

She tried to lean forward to prevent him from reading more of her work, but he had already seen it all. "Well, I was able to do it easily enough, but actually writing out the process and why we were assigned to transfigure something so simple… I can't seem to get it."

He looked at the book, but he didn't need to. He already knew this by heart, but knew better than to just give her the direct answers. "Well, the process… just think about what you had to do to make the transfiguration, and as for the reason why you were given such a simple task… think about the shapes of both objects, but also think about the properties of both objects. See what you can come up with now." He said with a light smile.

Rose blushed a bit and went back to work. He hadn't meant to embarrass her. This was another reason why he didn't like to be around his cousins, they all reacted to him in strange ways.

He walked over to the couch and dropped into it, now in a slightly bad mood. The fire flickered before his eyes, making them close. He felt as if he were falling asleep when someone came up and shook his head from side to side.

"Freddie! You in there?" James said with a smile. He seemed to be in a better mood now than when he left.

Fred looked out the window to see that the sky was no longer blue, but black. He realized that he had indeed fallen asleep after all. "You had your talk with Albus, then?"

James smiled as he took a seat next to his cousin. It wasn't his devious grin or devilish smirk, but a solid, sincere, smile. "Yeah." He sighed out. "He told me why he chose to go to Slytherin. You knew, of course… he told me that you two talked. I… have to admit that his idea is one that is going to be difficult, but I'm going to try and help him with it. You will too, won't you?" He asked, looked down at the redhead.

"Yeah, I think I will."

They sat in silence for a moment before James turned to look at him again. "So?"

"So what?" Fred automatically replied. James glared at him before he remembered. "Oh right, right…" He sighed. "Okay then, James. I'll become an illegal Animagus with you."

**A/N: Chapter 2 is complete. I uploaded the first two chapters of the rewrite, I hope you like them. This is my first time writing after coming back from a very... long... Hiatus. I appologize for my absence, apparently my mind had been a little wanderstricken since I've got PCOS and a severly messed up Thyroid. It affects the thinking but I don't think that was the reason. Anyway, hope you enjoied the first two chapters.**


	3. The Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the story line. This is just for fun *smiles***

Chapter 3

Fred couldn't wait until the end of the week. It was one of the few things that he was looking forward to. He'd never been to the Ministry before, and to be able to work on potions.

Another thing, his agreement with James was still going to go on as planned. While he was at the Ministry, he was going to sneak into the department that involved dealing with Animagus. James was lending him the invisibility cloak that his father had given him to make it easier.

While he was away for the weekend, James was going to find a way into the shrieking shack since he didn't know of any room where they could secretly practice. He mentioned a passage, but it was located under the Whomping Willow and he had yet to find a way to it.

The next day after Fred agreed to the insane notion to become an illegal Animagus, James and Fred pulled Louis off to the side and down a secret passage way so that they were less likely to be disturbed.

"Hey Louis, listen mate… We've got a proposition for you." James said, wrapping one arm around the blonde's shoulder.

Anyone could see that Louis was uncomfortable with James being all up in his face. Louis wasn't a huge troublemaker, but if it was going to make his sister mad at him, he would surely agree.

"What is it?" He asked.

"How would you like to become an Animagus with us?" He asked in a seductive tone.

Louis pushed James off his shoulder, slightly creeped out by his cousin's actions. "Are you mad?" He looked over at Fred. "Are you in on this madness, too?"

Fred nodded with a bit of a shrug. "Yeah. I've agreed to it. You're the only other one we're asking."

The blonde looked from side to side, attempting to think of something to say to get out of it. "If we get caught-"

"We won't! That's the best part. You in? Even if she never finds out, imagine how much your sister would _loathe_ the idea of it."

That had him hooked. He smirked. "Sure. Anything that could turn Victorie's stomach, I'm game for it."

"Perfect! Now, Fred will find out what he can at the Ministry. I'll be finding out how to get past that damn tree… Louis, I want you to see if you can find any information in the library on any living Animagus."

Louis smirked. It was really the first time Fred had seen such a devilish expression on his face. He had a bad feeling that this was actually going to work.

Friday finally came, and Fred packed a small pack of cloths and the invisibility cloak that James was lending him. It was the first time that he'd felt nervous.

Professor Reiner was waiting for him at the entrance. "There you are! I'm glad you didn't forget."

"How could I forget? You reminded me every time you passed me in the halls."

Reiner laughed. "Well, then, let's go, shall we?" He said. Soon, they were walking down the path to where they were usually dropped off at, where a carriage was waiting for them. "Up you go."

But Fred started to feel a little confused when they started to head away from where the Hogwarts Express was. "Sir? Where are we going?"

Reiner glanced down at him. "Why, to Hogsmeade of course. There's an apparition barrier at the train station for some reason, so we have to go to Hogsmeade instead. Just found that out myself, actually."

"But… weren't you a student here?"

Reiner smiled. "Yeah, I was. I was in Ravenclaw, but because of that, I stayed to myself and kept only to my studies. I regret it now, but that's why I came back. I'm only here until I find a more permanent job."

It wasn't long before they were in Hogsmeade. But they didn't stay in the main part of the town, instead, they walked out a bit before Reiner held out his arm. "Hold on tight. Apparition isn't the easiest thing when you're not doing it yourself."

Fred grabbed onto the black sleeve and held on as tight as he could. The feeling was quick, and uneasy. He felt as though he was choking. But it was soon over, and he was standing inside a small apartment. It was very neat, painted with sage green walls. Seated on the couch, was a thin, white cat with a black star on its forehead.

"Ah, home. Not much, but still home. You can just drop your stuff right there next to the cat. She won't bother it."

Fred did as he was told. "So, when do we go to the Ministry?" Fred asked as he looked around.

Reiner took off his cloak and looked over at the clock. Let's see. It's four now. If we go, we'll just be hanging around for an hour."

"That's okay. I can go visit my uncles in the Auror Department if they're not busy." Fred lied. He wasn't about to go visit any of his relatives in the Ministry.

Reiner nodded. "Well, as long as you don't get lost. Just meet me in front of the main statue on the first floor, okay? Just go by floo powder."

Fred pulled out his plain black robes and cloak, and made sure to stuff the invisibility cloak in the inner cloak pocket. Taking his place in the fire pit that was out of place, he yelled, "Ministry of Magic!" and was surrounded by a green flame.

He walked out of the Ministry's fire place and dusted himself off before walking over to the directory. He figured that if Reiner asked, he'd have to at least know what departments his relatives were located in. He knew that James's father was head of the Auror Department. The directory said that their office was located up on the second floor. Worst case scenario, he'd pop in just to say that he really went to visit.

He found an empty hall and whipped out the invisibility cloak. It felt odd, hiding in such an unusual way. He checked to make sure his feet weren't showing. Once he was ready, he set off to find the area where he would find out the most information.

It took him a while, but he was able to find the small office where Animagus information was located. It just so happened that someone was in there asking about it.

"Becoming an Animagus is very difficult. Why would you want to be one? Any particular reason?" the receptionist asked.

The woman who was asking about it was young with light brown hair. "I'm taking the Auror Exam here in the next few weeks. After that, I want to try to be an Animagus. My mother was one and I always wanted to be one too. Not to mention it may come in handy one day."

The receptionist nodded. "Well, here's the basic information. Sign your name here so that we can keep track of your progress. You'll also need this," she held up a book titled "_The Animagus Process." _"There's a potion that you have to make to start the process. It's in the book as well, but if you're not sure on how to make it, you can pay the people in the Potions Department to make it for you."

The young woman nodded and paid the other woman for the book. Once she left, Fred waited for the receptionist to move. It seemed like it took forever, but luckily, she glanced up at the clock, sighed, and walked out from behind the desk. She left the small office, probably to go to the bathroom.

Fred took his chance and darted behind her desk. There were a ton of papers, pamphlets, and books identical to the one she just gave that young woman. He grabbed the book, the pamphlet, and even a mint that was in a dish on the edge of the desk. With that, he quickly made his way out of the office.

He hadn't noticed before, but he was shaking slightly, and sweat dripped down his face. The rush of stealing the book to do something like this… it was exhilarating, but he was afraid that he would get addicted to it.

He entered the bathroom and quickly took off James's cloak and wrapped it around the book. Knowing he had a lot of time, he decided he would, after all, go visit his uncles.

The second floor was littered with many floating paper planes. The Auror's office was crowded with papers, desks, and walls with tacked up pictures and articles. He walked in, not sure where to go. He didn't recognize anyone until someone called his name.

"Fred?"

Looking up, he spotted a man with dark ginger hair leaning over a desk that was covered in papers. The man struggled to get out of his small area before walking up to his nephew. "I thought that was you, kid. What're you doing here?"

It was his uncle Ron, Rose's father.

"I'm here with a Professor for extra work."

Ron looked confused. "Like, for detention?" He asked.

Fred shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I was asked to help in the Potions Department by my professor. I'm just here for the weekend."

"Is that what it is?" Another voice came from behind him. He turned his head to see a tall man with short, black hair, bright green eyes, and a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "You dad said you were exceptional at Potions. I heard that a third year was going to assist in making some special potion this weekend, but I would have never guessed that third year was you."

"Harry, Fred's in his second year." Ron said.

Harry Potter shook his head, "didn't you hear about it? He moved up to the grade he should have been in."

"Did you, now?" Ron muttered. "Well that's good. So how's Rose doing? She's only written one letter since she's got there. I'm a little worried about her."

"Oh, she's doing well. Her learning style isn't like mine, though. She's more of a… hands on learner, I suppose. No too much into learning directly from a book." Fred replied.

"Really now? That's interesting." Ron muttered with a smile. "She's more like me than she lets on. How about Albus? He's stuck in Slytherin, poor boy."

Harry gave Ron a sideways glance. "You can't be mad at him for being in Slytherin, Ron."

Ron huffed. "I'm… not."

Fred couldn't believe how childish his uncle was acting. Of course, he'd never hung out much around the adults ever, so of course he wasn't sure how they acted. "So is this how everyone acted when they found out Albus chose to be in Slytherin?" Fred asked. It seemed as if he was talking out loud, but in fact he was trying to find the reaction of his uncles.

"He… asked?! He asked to be in the darkest house at Hogwarts?" Ron shouted, not caring that he was getting stared at.

Harry just glanced back at Fred as he spoke. "Yeah. He's got a plan, and if he hasn't told you old guys about it, then that means either he doesn't want you to know or he doesn't care if you know or not." Fred smirked as Ron mouthed "old guys."

Harry looked like his was deep in thought. Fred didn't want to disturb him, but Ron didn't seem to care. "You mean… that Albus, the one who was the most terrified to be in Slytherin, chose to be there?"

Harry put his hand to his chin as he spoke what he was thinking. "You know… I did tell him that one of the best wizards I'd ever known came from Slytherin and he was named after him… I also told him that the hat really let him choose his house. But what does he want to do?" The last question was directed at Fred. His green eyes suddenly went from kind and calm to narrow and intruding. "If you won't tell me… give me a clue as to how I can extract this information."

Fred felt two pairs of eyes staring him down, trying to dig into his soul. One pair, a sharp, narrowed green pair, and then a pair or blue eyes that were searching for any sort of weakness that Fred might let go. Any sort of nervous movement, any extra twitch of the eyes. They were looking for it, but unfortunately… They were dealing with Fred, George's son, and the one who can resist everyone but James.

Fred dropped his smirk and stared at them with a blank face. It was his normal face that everyone knew him to carry. Blank, no emotion, boring… it was the way he liked it. They normally left him alone, with the exception for James. It was James who saw him break down and kick a statue at school one day. It's all gone downhill from there.

Ron sighed. "We're not getting anything out of him. We'll have to interrogate Al when he gets home for Christmas." Ron concluded.

Harry nodded. "I guess so."

Before anything else could be said, someone came up from behind Fred and put a hand on his head. "Are you ready?" Reiner asked as he bent over the young teen. Fred jerked his head to get the stray hand off but it seemed reluctant to release his strawberry blonde hair. The man looked up at the two Auror's with his young, blue eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry to steal your nephew away. I'm Lucas Reiner, the Potions Professor at Hogwarts." He introduced, holding out his hand to shake whoever was closest.

Ron grabbed his hand and shook it. "You look a little young to be a teacher. In fact, you don't look too much older than Fred, here."

"Hmm. That's because I'm only 9 years older than him." Reiner replied with a smile.

"That means you were in school with Teddy Lupin." Harry said quickly.

Reiner nodded. "Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I wasn't really a social butterfly then, so I don't personally know him. I heard he's getting ready to take the Auror's Exam." Reiner said with a light tone.

Harry nodded. "Yes. He's very talented at the required traits needed to be an Auror."

Reiner sighed. "I lack those traits. Let's go, fledgling. We've got a potion to play around with. It was nice to meet you, Mr…" Reiner seemed to realize that he hadn't learned their names.

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter."

Reiner's smiled dropped. "Eh?! I guess I should have expected that. Weasley…" He glanced down at Fred. "Well… I was never good at adding things together like that." He grabbed the teen's shoulder and led him away.

As they left, Reiner sighed. "I'm not good in situations like that. I'm so shy." He sighed, putting his hands up to his face.

"Eh?!" This shocked Fred. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't believe that."

As they walked, Reiner told him about how he used to act. "I was a real wall flower. I focused on my studies because I knew that after school was just as important. I wasn't shy when it came to talking about a subject or answering a question out loud, but I couldn't converse well with others about normal, everyday things. That's why teaching a class is easy for me but that back there… it was suffocating."

The young teen looked at him with a bewildered expression. "But didn't you make mention about a girlfriend in class?"

Professor Reiner laughed nervously. "Aha… well, that was an attempt at a joke. I don't think I could ever have a girlfriend because I would have no idea what to talk about."

It was sick to even think about it, but his older sister was perfect for this odd young man. He was blushing at the mention of his joke, at which his sister would be rolling. Had she not made mention of hunting down a boyfriend that she could manage to keep? She was very kind and gentle, but she also had a wild side. When she wanted to run free, she would run. In fact, he had no idea where she was right now. Out boyfriend hunting, maybe? It drove his father crazy to think about his daughter having another boyfriend. The thought almost made him grin.

But he wasn't about to mention his possibly available older sister, who was only three years younger than this man, to him. As of right now, this man was still located at the dangerously unusual and odd list. "But you seem to talk to me easily? Why is that?" Fred asked without thinking.

"I don't know, you just seem easy to talk to."

He had to get away from this topic. "So, what will I be doing exactly?"

Reiner straitened up. "Good question. We'll find out soon won't we?"

His statement made him feel uneasy. His suspicions were confirmed when they entered testing area of the Potions Department. There were only a few witches and wizards even present with a few caldrons scattered around the room.

"REINER!" Someone called. It was a middle aged man with graying hair and dull brown eyes. "Who is that?"

Reiner pointed to Fred. "Who, him?"

The man simply glared at the young man.

"Well, he's my little potions maker. He's going to take my place today."

"What are you talking about, boy?"

"I'm going to make this boy find a cure for cursed injuries."

The old man laughed harshly. "Yeah right. This squirt? Don't make me laugh, Reiner. You know this is serious business we're dealing with in here-"

"And that's why I brought him with me. His talent with potion making is exceptional, and is still growing exponentially." He pulled something out of his cloak and tossed it to the man. "Take a look at that."

Easily catching the small crystal phial, he examined it for a moment before opening the top and glancing inside. "This is… it's perfect. You want me to believe that this boy made this?"

"Yes, and by memory at that."

The old man bent down and glanced at the boy. "Very well then, but why cursed injuries?"

Fred also wanted to know, and was tired of listening to this old dog of a man blabber on about something he knew nothing about. His silvery blue eyes turned upward to look at his Professor. The expression on his face was… unreadable. At first he thought he was smiling, but it looked forced and like he was trying to hold something back.

"Oh, no reason really. I just think it would be a good idea if we could find a potion that could help with the healing process or take out the curse in a dark injury so it can be treated correctly. There are many who will forever have dark scars because nobody felt the urge to do something about it. Now then, if I may, I will be taking my student and will be over in that corner." He pointed to the deserted area of the room where there was already a caldron awaiting them.

When Fred sat down in a chair that was next to the caldron, he asked, "you didn't seem too shy about talking to that guy, why it that?"

Reiner was pulling out books from a bag that he had carried with him, unknown to Fred until that moment. "I've known that man for a while. He was sort of my mentor right when I got out of school. I respect him greatly, but he can be difficult to deal with."

Fred picked up a book. It was a dark magic book. "What are you doing with this kind of stuff?! Isn't this illegal to have?" Fred exclaimed.

"Don't be silly, it's for research. I want you to get a small grip on how dark magic works. Now then, don't give me that look, I don't want you to ever use them, but I want you to try and see how dark magic works. If we can try and decipher it in such a way, we may be able to counter it or even… create a healing potion that removes the curse. Since I'm no good at much else, I don't think I would know any other way to go about doing it."

Fred didn't even want to look in the book, but instead, he watched as Reiner was bent very far down in a very shallow bag. "Professor Reiner?" Fred looked over the edge of the bag to see a deep, empty, dark space in the bag when the man suddenly disappeared. "Sir?

Reiner lit the tip of his wand and looked up. "Don't fret, this is a magic bag. It's like my mass storage unit."

"Wow…" Fred muttered, hoping the man hadn't heard him.

He climbed back out and dusted off his robes. "Better. By the way, you don't need to call me Professor Reiner here, just at school. You can call me Lucas." He said with a small smile as he held up a vile of silver liquid.

Fred eyed the liquid for a moment. "That would make me sound very rude, Sir."

"Meh, I'm not that much older than you. Just pretend I'm… a cousin. Now go ahead and start looking through that book. It's the only one I could retrieve, and it was very difficult to get no matter how you look at it."

Fred opened the book with a frown. He felt contaminated just holding the evil book, but what made it worse was that he would never forget what he would read. The Introduction was littered with dark comments and clues on how to tap into dark magic. It was disgusting to read.

Dark magic was typically filled with evil thoughts, emotions, and actions. The more you let darkness fill your mind and heart, the more powerful and effective the curses were.

Fred looked up to see that Reiner was still pulling things out of his bag. "Sir- er… Lucas?"

He stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering… if… say I was it with a dark spell. Why can't a spell of light counteract the dark spell?"

Reiner's face changed for a moment when Fred mentioned being hit with a dark spell. "Well… of course many have tried, but nobody, no matter how pure their heart is, can seem to counter the curse in the injury. The only thing as of this day and age that could possibly heal a cursed injury would be Phoenix tears. But as you know, Phoenixes are so rare, one hasn't been seen in over twenty years. Nobody has ever been able to test this theory."

"But what if you could create a spell that directly counter a certain dark spell? That might be why nobody has ever been able to heal such an injury before. If you try and use a regular healing spell, then it may not work. The counter spell may be the only that may work."

Reiner nodded. "I've thought about that myself once, but, as I've stated before; I'm no good at most everything that isn't potions. Theory is great, but for someone like myself to try… It would probably lead to my death by experimenting. All I can hope to do it try and use the skills I do have and use them the best I can. Does that make sense?"

Fred nodded, but he was frowning. "Then why doesn't another Department try and develop some?"

Reiner sighed. "Because the Dark Lord is dead. The threat of being attacked by dark magic today is so slim they feel that it would be a waste of time. But it's only a matter of time before someone picks up where the Dark Lord left off. There will always be darkness that lingers in the heart, like greed. The world can't always stay peaceful. It's been twenty years since the war. It won't last forever"

Fred was surprised. _'I've never heard anything of this 'Dark Lord' or a war.' _He didn't have any clue about what this man was talking about.

'_There was a war. Last time I checked we were right there in the battle. That's why I find hanging around in your body so odd. Hogwarts was a warzone and yet you go to school as if nothing ever happened.'_

There was that voice again. He apparently could only hear his own thoughts and nothing being said around him, like what Reiner said. _'You know something about some war and a guy called the Dark Lord?'_

At first there was no reply. Then, _'Are you completely stupid, kid? What the hell world are you living in if you don't know who the Dark Lord is? Go look up Tom Riddle and…Voldermort. Maybe then you'll remember something like all the hell the world went through. I mean my own brother was injured enough to turn him saint like.'_

Fred decided to tune the man out. "So you're doing this out of precaution? I guess that's okay then… a little troublesome but tolerable."

Reiner nodded and went back to pulling out books and ingredients out of that unusual bag. Fred, meanwhile, went back to study the book of dark spells. He was a fast reader, so he got through about half of the book by the time Reiner was ready.

He put his hands on his hips. "There! You should have plenty of things to work with tomorrow."

The redhead glanced up. "You mean I'm not doing anything today?"

Reiner closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side a bit. "Well, I was originally going to have you work today, but it seems our time has run out for tonight. The Ministry will be closing for all of us who aren't head of our own departments. I'll leave my things out and just take the books with us today."

Fred agreed and decided he could go through the rest of the books available back at Reiner's apartment. He watched as Reiner put up a simple barrier around the supplies he was leaving and led Fred out. "Please make sure to lock this place up properly, Bale." He called over to the older man. He simply nodded as they left.

When they returned, Fred took a seat next to the cat lounging on the couch. He was surprised to see that it was already eight at night.

"Are you hungry?" Reiner asked.

Fred wasn't very comfortable around people most of the time. His usual feeling was returning now that it was just the two of them. "Yeah."

Reiner walked into the kitchen. "Is there anything you particularly want? Or are you severely allergic to anything?" Fred's answer was no. "Then how about… we just order out, eh? I'm good at cooking but… I'm tired, you're tired… it seems easier this way. How about pizza?"

Fred agreed, but asked if he could have his just as cheese and nothing else.

"Sure. That's how I like it too. Of course, pepperoni is a close second if I have to."

It wasn't long before they were eating to the sound of the radio. Once they were finished, Reiner went to take a shower and said he was turning in early and that Fred could continue reading or even read some of the other books.

The farther he read into dark magic, the more he sort of came to understand some of it. If he were enraged and the only thing keeping him going was revenge, would he not want to make someone suffer for what they did? But weren't most dark wizards evil because they wanted some sort of power?

There were curses that sliced your skin, melted you bones, crushed your entire being, one that removed the soul from the body but left the body as if nothing happened. There was even one that removed the spine from the body but left everything else. Some of the spells made Fred feel violently ill. At the end of the book, there were three spells that were noted as 'forbidden.' Fred couldn't help but continue.

The first he came up upon was the Imperius curse. It gave the caster the ability to control the person it was casted on. The curse itself didn't hurt, but the spoken or unspoken command of the caster can easily force the other into anything of his bidding, walking in front of a train or murdering someone else.

The next was the Cruciatus Curse, a curse that has more power with the desires and emotions of a person. It inflicts serious, excruciating pain and can even cause some to lose their minds if it's kept on too long. It is also known as the torture curse and leaves behind no physical evidence of it.

The last and final curse was the killing curse, _Avada Kedavra. _It was simply that, a curse that, if it hit someone, would kill them instantly. There is no counter-curse and leave no sign of death.

Fred closed the book. Dark magic could defiantly be described as magic of greed. The only way to beat it, would have been selflessness. But... how to put that into a potion was beyond him.

He needed ingredients from the purest of animals. He opened a book of ingredients and their uses and was surprised to see notes and markings littering the sides and empty spaces of every single page. He also found note book after notebook of written notes, potions that had failed, potions that had succeeded in what they were intended for… all the information was incredible, even by Fred's standards.

He was completely lost within the huge amount of notes. He read through a huge amount before he realized that it was three in the morning. He closed the notes and curled up on the couch.

When he woke up, it was to the sounds of Lucas Reiner moving around in the kitchen. As he leaned up, a flash of white pushed off his chest. The cat had been lying on his chest. There was also a pillow and blanket where there hadn't been a few hours ago, the pillow under his head and the blanket now puddle around his waist.

He was sure of one thing, he wanted a shower. He stood up and made his way sluggishly over to the kitchen doorway. He wasn't much of a morning person but he also never got enough sleep as well. "Prof-… uh… Lucas? Do you mind if I take a shower?" He asked.

Lucas looked over his shoulder. "Sure, but wait until you eat, okay? I've made eggs on toast."

Fred had never had that before. Of course he's had eggs, toast, and most everything else for breakfast, but never had he eaten eggs _on_ toast. It was simply a sunny side down egg tossed on a piece of buttered toast. Reiner even had a piece of toast with grape jelly that he dipped into the yolk. The Weasley had to admit, it was simple but it was pretty good.

By eight they were headed back to the Ministry via floo powder. Fred was used to running on a low battery for days. Some days, he didn't even go to sleep, assuming it would be too painful to wake up after only an hour of sleep.

On their way through the Ministry, Fred passed by his Aunt, Hermione Weasley, who was carrying a folder. She was in the Law department but also worked with the study of ruins. She would occasionally have to take a trip that could last anywhere from a week to a month. She didn't notice him, thankfully. He just wanted to start on making this potion.

Once the barrier was taken down, the two sat around the caldron to start working.

Unknown to the two potion makers, two people stood at the entrance, watching. After a few minutes, the two left. "What're they up to?" Ron muttered as they headed back to their own department.

"I don't know. Why would a potions master need help from a third year student?" Harry said. "But then again, maybe he's just letting Fred get more experience with potion making. George did say that it was his best subject."

Ron chuckled. "Yeah, I remember. Said he was jealous of him because he and Fred would have died and gone to heaven making all sorts of troublesome potions." At the mention of his deceased brother, Ron quit talking for a moment. To change the subject a little, he jumped back to the younger Fred. "Should we tell George that Fred was here?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sure if it was something important, Fred would tell his dad. Apparently it's noting that Fred thinks is too important."

Ron scoffed. "But Harry, that boy is… odd. I don't think he would tell anyone if he was dying."

The black haired man shook his head. "Don't worry. James talked all summer long about him. The two get along fine, and James really likes him. He told me that he was going to force him over to stay some of the summer." Harry laughed a bit. "I think Fred's just shy around people."

Unknown to him, Fred was not shy. He was a genius. And slowly, at that very moment, he was starting to create a potion that would, one day, eliminate the curse in an injury from a dark spell.

**A/N: Chapter 3 complete! Yay. Don't worry, James and his trouble making will be back next chapter.**


	4. The Problem

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the story line. This is just for fun *smiles***

Chapter 4

James was in a very bad mood. All weekend he had tried to find a way past that monstrous tree, but failed every time. He had checked all the other passages that led out of Hogwarts, but every single one had been blocked by some sort of damage. Everyone could tell that he wasn't in the mood to joke because if he wasn't missing, he was sulking back in the common room.

Louis had tried to cheer him up with his information that he had found, which worked for a moment, until he found out that the only known Animagus at the school, was the old Headmistress, McGonagall.

"We can't do much with that. We couldn't even ask about it because she would be too suspicious of me… unless… No… you've been hanging around me too much this week, she'd get suspicious." He sighed and put his hands on his chin. "When's Freddie coming back… it's Sunday already. Hell, I'm ready for bed and he's still not back from whatever he went to do with Professor Reiner."

"What are you complaining about?" Fred said from behind the two seated on the couch.

James, with a grin, jumped up off the couch, grabbed the strawberry blond around the neck and pulled him down on the couch onto his and Louis's laps. "Oh Freddie! I missed you!" He cooed.

Fred played possum like always, knowing full well that James loved the struggle. Louis, however, hadn't learned this. "What are you doing?! Let him go!" He yelled.

Unfortunately for Louis, this was just like struggling. "Oh, you jealous?" James grinned as he stretched over and grabbed the blonde Weasley instead. "I didn't know you cared so much, Lucy."

"Grr. Quit. Calling. Me. Lucy!" Louis growled out. The next thing that any of them knew, Fred was seated at another chair while the fourth year and third year wrestled on the couch. Fred grinned when Louis got the better of James for a mere second and launched him on the floor. "Now knock it off."

James hopped up. "Hey, pretty good. Are you trying out for Quidditch, too? You could be a beater with me."

Louis shook his head. "No thanks. Hey, Fred." He moved his blue eyes over to where Fred had escaped. "So, how was your little field trip with Professor Reiner? What was the purpose again?"

Fred picked up his small bag and put it in his lap. "We, uh, attempted to make a potion that takes out the curse in a cursed wound. Like non healing injuries caused by dark magic."

"Eh? Dark magic? Nobody uses dark magic anymore." James commented in a bored tone.

Fred glanced over at him. "But it's just in case. We can't remain in peace forever."

"So what do you mean you attempted?" Louis asked.

Fred glanced down to his wrapped up index finger. "Well, we were able to prevent any extra bleeding, and also," he smirked just a bit, "I was able to make the injury smaller. This may be of use to a serious injury and may kill you to just an injury you can survive."

The two cousins looked at Fred in awe. "Are you kidding? In just one weekend?" Louis asked.

Fred nodded. "Yeah. But I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for Professor Reiner's notes. He had…books full of notes, failed and successful potions… I was able to pull out the most pure ingredients and make something of a rough draft on it."

"You're going to be famous one day, Freddie. So what were the pure ingredients?" James asked with a childlike face.

"I'd rather not be famous, but I mostly used parts of a Unicorn since they're one of the purest animals on the planet. I was a little unsure about using the blood, though. You're not supposed to drink it, you know."

James nodded like he understood what was going on. "So, did you find anything out about the animagus?"

Fred pulled out James's cloak and tossed it at him. "Yeah, I did. Here." He then pulled out the book he stole along with the paper pamphlet. "But we can't just carry that book around, got it." He said strictly. "You'll have to cut the pages out of the binding and exchange it with another book, one that most people wouldn't even look at, but one that you may still look at yourself. Then, you have to burn the original cover of the book."

James was simply staring at the book in awe, a look that had yet to leave his face since Fred returned. "Freddie, you are absolutely the most brilliant, amazing person."

"Here. It's a good thing I got back so late or there'd be a ton of people out here." Fred said.

James and Louis looked in the book quickly. "How'd you get this?" Louis asked, looking up from the introduction pages.

Fred yawned. "I'm a bit tired. You guys should go to sleep, too. We'll talk about this more when we find a place to practice since James doesn't know how to get past that tree."

James glared back up at him. "Sure, rub it in my face."

With a smirk, Fred trekked up to his bed, soon followed by Louis. He hadn't had much sleep for the past few days and couldn't wait to get a full seven hours of sleep. It would have been eight, but he was going to do his homework between eight and nine. The moment he landed on his bed, he was out. He didn't even try to change out of his cloths.

The next morning, he sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall working on his homework. James was seated next to him and was stuffing his face with a muffin while reading _'Muggle Tricks.'_ Fred glanced over to see that the pages were bewitched to look like the original book. James wasn't an idiot when he wanted something done. Fred knew this trick, it was similar to how the Marauder's map worked. The only way the Animagus portion of the book would show up was if someone muttered the password. But James went over the top and made it so that the book only responded to the password when either James, Louis, or his own finger prints made contact with it. But the best part was that to complete it, they had to hold the book with both hands, using only their thumbs, index fingers, and ring fingers. He made them complete the process of setting this password this morning.

"So Freddie, Quidditch tryouts are next week. I know you didn't bring your broom so you can borrow mine." He said as he closed the book.

"I'm aware. I signed my name to the list, but shouldn't you be thinking about something else?" Fred asked his cousin.

The black haired teen groaned. "Yeah, well, I don't think that's going to work. We're going to have to find a new place to do it. There's got to be somewhere that won't get us caught." His brown eyes rolled over to look at Fred's perfect, male handwriting. "How can you write so fast and so neat?"

"Practice." Fred muttered before closing his book. "Done."

Louis choked on his juice. "But didn't you have something from every class?!" He asked from his seat across from his other two cousins.

Fred stared at him. "Yeah… I retain information well, so doing homework like this is easy."

Louis glared at him. "I think I hate you."

Fred shrugged. "Don't. I'm just a freak. But this freak is going to make doing what we're going to do a whole lot easier." He looked up as the second wave of breakfast eaters made their way into the Great Hall.

James looked over excitedly over at the Slytherin table as his little brother walked in. "Look guys! Al's just came in. Let's go visit." He said as he squirmed around like a little kid while shoving the book back into his bag.

Louis glanced over at the Slytherin table. "I don't know, James. I mean, you know we're not on good terms with them."

James stood up slowly as stared down at Louis with a forced grin. "Listen, you punk. We're going over to sit with Al for a bit and you are going to live with it." Once Louis walked over to the other two, James patted his head. "Good. Now let's visit Al."

Once they were close enough, James called out to him. "Yo Al, Scorpius! Budge up there a little, you." He said to another Slytherin first year. He took a seat next to Albus while Fred and Louis sat on the other side. "Are you okay over here, baby snake?" He asked with a grin.

Albus nodded. "Of course. It's not bad at all, if you ask me. Everyone's friendly, save for a few of the upper classmen."

"Eh, so just take of them yourself." James said as he reached over to grab a piece of bacon off his little brother's plate, but failed when Albus slapped his hand away.

"Quit being a pig. I saw you over there eating-"

"Hey! I only had a muffin." He said in defense.

But Albus didn't buy it, so he turned to his two older cousins who shook their heads. "I thought so."

James gawked at the traitors. "You guys are weak!"

"So it's really not scary, cold, and depressing in the Slytherin common room?" Louis asked in a low voice.

Scorpius shook his head with a faint smile. "No. The Head of Slytherin said that he changed a few things how it looked because it was too dark for him. Like… out couches are a soft color of green, along with some rugs. Um…" He laughed a bit. "I mean, it's just a big, open space filled with a few desks and chairs. I'm sure that's how yours is like, too. Big couches and all. Oh, but we do have an aquarium." Albus nodded.

"What!?" James yelled out. "We don't have something like that… I'm jealous." He pouted, making his brother and Scorpius laugh.

Fred got a good look at Scorpius. He had short, platinum blonde hair, even lighter than Louis's, and had bright, grey eyes.

Fred just remembered something. "Ah. Albus." Bright green eyes turned at the mention of his name. "I just remembered, I saw your dad and Uncle Ron at the ministry and they said they're going to try and force out the reason why you chose Slytherin at Christmas."

Albus looked alarmed. "That means they'll use any means necessary! I don't want anyone else to know. Just you guys and Scorpius here."

James latched his arm around his little brother's shoulder. "Don't worry, Al. Either they'll forget or we'll stop them somehow. But you'll be okay. I'm sure they won't use… extreme force."

It was Scorpius who spoke up next. "But… why were you at the Ministry… um… sorry, I'm not very good with names." He said shyly.

Fred knew what he was getting at. "It's Fred Weasley. And I was there assisting Professor Reiner with Potions, that's all." He said. "Speaking of, Louis and I have Potions soon. Bye Albus, Scorpius…" He wasn't going to say it but James hit him with these huge, brown, puppy dog eyes. "And I'll see you later, James."

As the two third years walked out, it was the first time that Fred noticed that the amount of people in the Great Hall had grown. Many were staring at them as they left, in shock that three Gryffindors would dare go sit over at the Slytherin table.

Back in the Great Hall, Professor Longbottom was sitting next to McGonagall. "Professor, did you see that?"

She nodded slowly. "I did indeed. I would have never thought that I'd live to see a day like this. Potter's son… both of them, in fact, may just change the prejudice in this school."

"I was thinking the same thing, Professor." Longbottom said with a smile.

When the two Weasley's walked into the near empty Potion's room, they were jumped by Reiner. "Ah, good morning, boys. There there, take a seat. Now, this…" He said, his blue eyes sparkling, "is for you, Fred." He held out a crystal phial with a thick, shimmery ice blue. "I want you to keep this one because you did make most of it on your own. Also, this is yours as well since I have no real business for it." He said, handing the boy a plain, muggle notebook that Fred had used to write his own notes in.

Fred took them, but said, "I really made those notes for you, Sir. I can remember them-"

Reiner waved off the question. "Don't be silly. That's all your own work. But don't think I didn't copy them." He said with a smile. "And also, you were absorbed in your work, so I didn't tell you that if you want to continue the research, you may come down here anytime you like and work on that, or any other potion. I have all the same ingredients in the storage room over there." He said, pointing to a door to the right.

Louis was in total shock at how easily he was going to let Fred go about using his things. Once he walked away, he leaned over and said quietly, "he must really like you. That potion you were working on must be really amazing."

Fred nodded a bit. "I think it could be… but…" He looked at the phial in his hand. "I think I need to make it pure white, silver, or even clear. But the first step sort of just came to me, completing something so advanced… I don't know if I'll be able to do it any time soon, if ever."

During his last class of the day, he started to think about where they would be able to practice. He'd already found where he was going to get the ingredients from.

'_We need somewhere to make the potion, and then somewhere to practice where we won't be caught. Somewhere safe for us at all times.' _He thought to himself as he picked up his bags and left the classroom.

'_I've got a place, if you like-'_ the voice said.

"No way." He muttered.

A sudden sharp pain made his vision go blurry and his eyes water. He hurried and dropped off his things back in the dorm where he ran into Will and Shilus. "Hey man, getting ready for dinner?" Shilus asked as he changed out of his robes for the day. He left the black pants and grey vest on that they were required to wear under their robes, though he pulled off the red and gold tie.

Fred nodded. "Yeah. I ended up bringing Louis's things up here since he wanted to get there before James ate everything. He acts as if the food doesn't reappear after so long."

Will was seated on his own bed, tightening his shoe laces. "You know, for such a skinny guy, he eats a ton."

He wasn't sure if he should tell them or not. "Well… Louis gets his appetite from his dad. He eats like a horse as well and never gains weight."

Shilus laughed. "My mum would love that. She's always complaining about not getting to eat much or she'll blow up."

Fred walked downstairs with his two classmates to dinner. It was crowded, but their seats were still open around Louis and James. What surprised Fred and the others was that Albus and Scorpius were sitting at the table as well. But that didn't stop the pain in his head. He wondered if this was a migraine instead of just a normal headache.

"The Slytherins are invading." Shilus whispered.

"Don't." Fred said in a low tone. "Besides, we've already invaded them this morning." He took a seat across from James and Albus and next to Scorpius. "Hey guys." He said.

James tried to speak, but his mouth was full. The strawberry blonde wasn't all that hungry, but grabbed some mashed potatoes and rolls just so he wouldn't be starving later. He wanted to make it a quick dinner so that he could go to bed as soon as possible.

'_I'm tired of you ignoring me all the time!'_ The voice yelled in his head. The pain was terrible, like someone had just split open his head. He tried to keep his moan down, but when he felt his stomach jump, he did the same and popped out of seat and started to run before anyone had even noticed. He bolted up the stairs to where the boy's restroom was located on the second floor, next to the vacant girl's restroom.

He was able to hold it until he made it there, then he slammed open a door and threw up into the toilet. His head felt hot and his body was shaking. He threw up two more times before he staggered out to an empty wall and slid down it so he could sit. He put his pale face up to the cold stone wall to try and get some relief, but it was useless. He could feel his eyes rolling up into his head, but he forced them to stop. His vision was now blurry, but he wasn't about to pass out because of some voice.

"You… get out. You're… killing me." He muttered.

'_Well, there's the problem, brat. I can't get out. Sorry to make you feel so bad, but it pisses me off when you won't listen to me. I told you I knew somewhere you guys could practice, but you wouldn't listen. Now I'm going to tell you and you _will_ listen to me.' _The voice said in a dark voice._ 'Go to the seventh floor and find the empty wall. Walk past it three times thinking 'we need somewhere to practice where we won't get caught.' Then it will appear. It's not called the room of requirement for nothing.'_

The pain was still there. Not sure if he was conscious or not, he just stayed there, leaning against the wall. Everything was blurry and dark. HE could see something big moving in front of him, but he couldn't do anything about it. In fact, he couldn't even move.

"Found him, Professor." A deep voice said, but he couldn't hear him.

"Very good. Lucky we came to this one. Now then-" Professor Longbottom asked. "What's wrong, Fred?" When he didn't answer, Longbottom spoke to the other boy. "Malcom, go fetch Madam Delina. I'll stay here with him."

"Right." The young man said.

"I'm glad our Head boy this year is so kind, eh, Fred? Lucky he found you."

"Professor! Is he okay?!" James said as he bent down to look closely at his cousin. Of course, Fred couldn't hear him. "Freddie? Can you open your eyes?"

"What's wrong with him?" A female voice asked.

Although he couldn't see, James tilted his head up and looked at Rose. "Hey… what are you doing in here, Rose? This is a boy's toilet."

"S-so! It's not much different from the girls." She said, a little embarrassed.

"Maybe, but rules are rules as Miss Vic would say. The only way to make up for this is for me to go into the girl's bathroom, it's the only way."

The man shook his head at Harry's son. He had no idea where this boy got his personality from, not from Harry, and not really from Ginny either. It may have just been the Weasley blood in general.

"Did you see how fast he ran? I didn't think he was very athletic but he was up and gone before almost anyone noticed." Louis commented.

A woman's voice appeared next. "What's the matter with him?"

"We don't know, that's why you're here, Madam Delina." James said with a smart tone.

She glared at him. "I wouldn't if I were you, boy. I'm the one who fixes all those injuries after Quidditch. Now then… ah, well, he's got a high fever. It seems he's passes out from that, probably due to a massive headache created from the fever. That boy you sent me said he ran out of the Great Hall, so that mean's he probably got sick." She sighed. "Very well, let's get him up to the hospital wing."

When Fred woke up, the sun was low in the sky. He had thought it was dark when he passed out, but maybe not? His body was sore, especially his stomach, so when he tried to sit up he had to stop, wait, then keep going. His head was still throbbing, but it felt like it was light and spinning now than being split in half like before. Laying on the bed next to him, was James. He was fast asleep. He couldn't think of a reason why James would be in the hospital wing.

He looked around. The light from the sun made him think it was morning. Had he slept all night? He couldn't even think about how he had gotten up here in the first place. Of course, he assumed someone had brought him up here.

"Freddie!" James called suddenly, making the Weasley jump and causing his stomach muscles to tighten and hurt even more. He looked over at James with tired eyes.

"What… are you doing in here?" He asked slowly. The way he spoke seemed to scare James, since his face held no joy whatsoever. He looked back up. "What am I doing in here?" He wondered as he tried to get out of bed.

James jumped off the bed he had been sleeping on and pushed him back down forcefully. "I'm not letting you get up when you sound like you don't have a brain, man. Just lay back down and rest."

"But-"

"No buts. I've got to go get the nurse now that you're awake. That was the deal so that I could sleep here."

Fred's head was still spinning. "But… why?" He couldn't seem to get his thoughts strait, and it was frustrating him. "I thought… I was getting sick, but it was the voice."

James stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"The voice. He yelled and… it hurt so much." He mumbled out. "It felt like my head… was going to explode. He was mad because I was ignoring him."

James walked back over and bent over him. "What else do you remember?"

Fred closed one eye as he tried to recall. "We were eating… and… the voice yelled at me. It hurt, and I felt sick, so I started to run. I can't…remember much else other than the toilet. I think I got sick." He muttered.

James felt his head. "Your fever's gone at least." He bent down on his knees. "Is this voice the same one from last year? The one that we thought was a ghost up on the seventh floor?"

Fred nodded. "Yeah… But I hear him all the time now."

Fred glanced up at James. "I don't think… I'll tell anyone about that. You shouldn't either. They'll think I've lost my mind."

James agreed, and then went to go get the nurse. When she came back, she had a large bottle and a cup in her hands. "Finally woke up, have you? Hope you had plenty of sleep."

"What-"

James cut in. "You've been asleep since you passed out two days ago. Well… not two full days, I suppose. You slept through the night, you slept all day yesterday, and now it's Wednesday morning."

"Yes, yes. Now tell me, boy, how do you feel?"

Fred didn't want to stay in the hospital wing, that was for sure. "I feel much better, thanks. You do good work in here, ma'am."

"Why thank you, Mr. Weasley. Well, at the very least, I want you to take this once more and I'll let you leave with Mr. Potter." She said as she poured a small amount of dark liquid into the cup. He quickly drank it, made a sour face, and sighed. "If you really think you're okay, you may leave. But no classes today, understood."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you very much." He said as James stood next to him. The woman smiled and walked away.

"Man, you're such a smooth talker when you want something." James said with a smirk, of course it disappeared when Fred swayed a bit. "Hey now… I thought you said you were okay!" He said in an angry whisper as he grabbed Fred's arm.

Fred shrugged. "I _will_ be, once I'm out of this place."

It took a while before they made it back to the Gryffindor common room where Fred sunk down onto the couch and just laid down. He didn't think he could handle anymore stairs right now. James, worried about his cousin, sat down on the floor next to Fred's head. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

He nodded and covered his eyes from the sunlight streaming in. "Yeah. I just need to rest."

James glanced up. "Sorry, to bust your bubble, but everyone's waking up." Fred simply groaned. He didn't want to mess around with telling people he was okay.

It was just his bad luck that it would be Louis's sister who was the first down. "I see Fred's out of the hospital, I hope you're feeling better." She said in a kind voice, one that Fred hadn't heard. He didn't reply, felling it would use up too much energy. She glared at him with her sharp blue eyes. "You don't have to be rude, Fred."

James glared up at her. He was about to say something when someone made a comment behind her. "Can't you see that he still feels bad? Leave him alone and let him rest." Louis said as he walked down the stairs with Shilus and Willis behind him.

"Don't act so rude, Louis." She huffed before turning around, her black robes billowing behind her. She screamed when a large spider appeared on her blonde head.

James put away his wand with a straight face. "Your sister sure can be mean." He said.

Louis walked over to Fred. "So is he any better? The way he just bolted made be a little worried. Even Molly and Dominique was asking about him."

"Yeah. He's fine, just really sore and tired."

"Why is he still tired? He slept all day yesterday?" Shilus asked.

James glared at him. "You don't recover well after being sick. Now go to class and leave Fred alone."

"Eh, you mean you're not going? Miss Head Girl Victoire will sure to be on your ass about that." Shilus replied with a smirk.

"I don't care. What if he gets sick again? Someone should stay with him until he's able to go back to classes. You guys go on, I'll see you later." He said calmly. With a few goodbyes from the three, they left. James simply sat on the floor, telling anyone who asked that the strawberry blonde was just tired and that he was fine.

When Rose climbed down, she looked at Fred from the back of the couch, glancing down at his now sleeping form. His arm had slipped off his face and his breathing was slow and steady. "He looks like a raccoon, doesn't he?" She asked as she pulled a stray side bang out of her face.

James straitened up and leaned over his cousin to see what the young girl was talking about. "I guess you're right. His eyes sure are dark, aren't they?"

It was true. Not only was he unusually pale from not feeling well, his eyes were so dark, it seemed as if someone had hit him and his eyes were bruised up. "He'll be okay, right? Once he rests up?" She asked.

James continued to look at his face. "Yeah… He'll be okay, Rose. Now go on, you should go eat before class." He said with a faint smile. Once everyone had left for class, he sighed and leaned his head on the couch. Voices… he had said. Even at Hogwarts and being a wizard… hearing voices was not much of a good sign. He could talk to snakes, but nobody else could, not even Albus, so he never brought it up to his parents or anyone else. He felt it was just too unusual, even if he was a wizard.

He thought back to the first time he had met Fred in school last year. He had been going for a night time stroll to the kitchens and was looking for the short cut. He remembered being happy about Fred becoming a Gryffindor the week before at the Sorting Ceremony, but hadn't really talked to him other than to congratulate him. It's not like he ever talked to him before, even at the family get-togethers.

He was sneaking about when he tripped over something. He had landed hard on the ground and hurt his wrist. He had to cast _lumos _to see what he had so foolishly tripped over only to find his first year cousin slouched against the wall, seated on the floor. He was shaking and sweating horribly, but otherwise looked fine. James had to drag him back to the dorm and since he couldn't remember where Fred's bed was, he just took him up to his. It had freaked him out, but when Fred woke up the next morning, he looked fine, and acted as if it hadn't happened.

Actually, his reaction had made James laugh because Fred had accused him of being a pervert and abducting him in the middle of the night. James never told him that he found him passed out, but now it made him want to tell him.

There was also the incident where Fred had told him to leave him alone, but apologized and said it was the ghost. James thought it was a little odd then, but now… it made him worry.

James leaned over and put his wrist on Fred's forehead. "No fever." He muttered. He could take care of sick people and could read a fever because he was the oldest out of three. He had watched over his little brother and sister when they got sick, unknown to his parents. He wanted to take care of everyone, even if he did like to pull pranks.

When he woke up, it was a little past lunch time. Someone had given him a pillow and Fred one as well. But Fred got a blanket where he didn't. He pushed himself off the floor and looked at Fred, who was still sleeping. James forced himself to stand up.

He needed food. He double checked to see how well Fred was sleeping when he decided to make a run to the kitchens to get something quick to eat. His father's house elf worked down there. He was very old, barely able to move about, but he was down there nonetheless and James made sure to visit every once in a while. He had a feeling the elf was going to die here in the next year or two.

When he entered the kitchens, a ton of small elves rushed at him.

"Master James has come to visit!"

"What would you like, Sir?"

"Are you going to eat here or in class?"

He was always pelted with these questions, but he liked the elves. They were mysterious because they had their own magical abilities. He'd only seen elf magic in action once and that was in his first year. He had decided to skip class for the first time and hide out in his dorm room when he walked in to see all the beds being straitened up, books being neatly placed back in the usual spot, and windows cleaned. It was then that he met Mika, a very young house elf. She had been wearing a blue t-shirt that was too big but tucked into her black shorts and she wore a ball cap. At first he thought it was a male until she spoke. He had startled her at first and she had disappeared. He had to hunt for her for a while until he found her in the kitchens a few months later.

He smiled at them all. "Just a few sandwiches are all. Oh, could you possibly make some soup for my cousin Fred? He's not feeling well."

Mika, who always was the first to rush up to him, nodded and disappeared. He took this time to go visit the older house elves that were basically retired. "Hello, Kreacher. Are you feeling well?" He asked, bending down to look at the old elf with the silver locket around his neck.

"Kreacher is old… Kreacher believes today will be his last day. He will finally be with his master and mistress at last." He muttered.

James didn't like that kind of talk, but he was old. "So you're going to die today? How will that work?"

Kreacher gave him a toothy smile. "Kreacher will make himself turn to dust so that Master James won't have to deal with Kreacher's old body. Since Kreacher won't be decapitated like his mother, this is the only way for Kreacher to die happily."

James felt a pang of sadness. He'd known the elf for four years, and even if he was a little creepy, he was still nice. "I see." Something was pushed into his hands. It was the silver locket. "What's this?"

"That was Master Regulus's. He took it from the Dark Lord… It was part of his downfall, but Master Harry Potter let Kreater keep it. Kreater will forever thank Master Harry Potter for his kindness, but Kreater also thanks Master James for his kindness as well. Kreacher would like Master James to keep it as a present from this old Kreacher before Kreacher dies."

"Thanks, Kreacher. When you see all those dead guys, tell them I said hi, will ya?" He said with a smirk as he placed the locket around his neck.

At that time, Mika came back, her bright blue eyes staring intently at him. "I've brought Master James his sandwiches and put the soup in a thermos for your cousin, Sir."

He took them. "Thank you, Mika."

She smiled and handed him a small bundle wrapped up in a thick napkin. "I've made a small treat for you as well, Master James." Mika was the only elf he knew that spoke properly. She referred to herself as I and myself instead of Mika.

He was about to look inside when Mika told him not to. "You've got to open them once you've finished your sandwiches."

"Yeah yeah. Mika, come with me for a moment, will you." He said as he started to walk out. Once the portrait was closed, he turned to her. "Will you write me a letter when Kreacher… dies. I'll have to tell my father."

She nodded. "Very well, Sir."

When he came back to the common room, Fred was still sleeping when he returned. He hated to wake him up, but he was going to make him eat.

"Hey Freddie…Fred!" Fred groaned a bit. James sighed and yelled, "Fredrick Weasley!" Fred quickly sat up, his darkened eyes wide for a moment… until they landed on James.

"What?" He growled out. He hated to wake up.

James handed him the thermos. "Here's some lunch for you- and don't give me any lip. You need to eat."

Fred, who seemed to be back to his normal self, just took it and poured some of it into the cup. "Thanks." He glanced over and noticed James was trying to eat his sandwiches at an inhuman pace. "You're going to choke." He commented.

James, at the moment, beat on his chest a bit before continuing. It didn't take long before he opened his surprise. "Awesome! I love these!" He cried out in joy as he popped one of the fried mushrooms in his mouth. "My mum won't make them since she says they're too greasy. I love that Mika."

Fred simply shook his head and sipped on his soup. His stomach was still sore, and his head was throbbing just a bit now, but he felt like his throat was swollen. It was a little hard to breathe.

'_You know… You should mention the Room of Requirements now. I told you how to get there. The empty wall on the seventh floor… just walk past it three times, saying you need a place where you won't be found so you can practice. And also, you need to get help. You're not well.'_

"Shut up. This is your entire fault that I ended up like an invalid. Just leave me alone."

'_Awe, don't be sore at me, kid. I told ya, we can be friendly. I tried to introduce myself and you're just acting stubborn about it.'_

"Shut up and die, you bastard." He hissed.

'_Well… I hate to tell you this, but you've been talking aloud this entire time. You're friend must have thought you've lost it. And for good reason, too.' _The voice said in a smug tone.

Fred felt his insides jolt and his eyes widen. He slowly turned to face James, who was sitting next to him, starring at him with the most horrified expression. His chocolate eyes were probably just as wide as Fred's and his mouth was just hanging open.

Fred's mouth went dry. He tried to swallow, but he just couldn't. Finally, he forced a small smirk. "I, uh… was just thinking to myself-"

"LIAR!" James yelled as he jumped up. "It's that voice again! You were arguing with it! That's why you got sick!" He stood in front of Fred and grabbed Fred's shirt. "We've got to do something if this is going to kill you!"

Fred had never been truly terrified in his life. Maybe once, when his cousins' came after him and dangled him off the top of his grandparents' house. But now… James looked so terrifying with his brown eyes narrowed and his teeth grinding together. He whispered in a threatening voice, "we have to tell someone-"

Fred pushed him away. "NO! That's all I need is for someone to do experiments on me." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room so that there was space between them. "You're the one who always says that telling is being traitorous… You're such a hypocrite, James Potter!" He yelled. He was scared. If James was so upset about it… an emotion he'd never seen on James before, how was he supposed to feel?

James took a small step towards him. "But if something's wrong… I don't want you to die. You need to tell someone. Please." He asked in such a pathetic voice, it made Fred's hands start to shake.

He was already out casted by most of his family… he didn't need any more of that awkwardness around him. He whipped out his wand and, without muttering a word, he put James into a full body bind. He quickly bolted out of the common room and looked around. For some reason, he kept thinking of the empty wall on the seventh floor.

His stomach was twisting with pain, but he continued to move. When he found it, he went ahead and unconsciously passed it back and forth, asking for somewhere to hide where James couldn't find him until he could calm down. He didn't feel right. He couldn't figure out why he was acting so out of character.

He froze when a good sized door appeared in front of him. A door that had never been there before suddenly appearing… was the voice right? Fred opened the door and slowly walked inside. It wasn't very big, just a couch and a lit fireplace. He walked over to the couch and just sat down on it and stared at the fire.

"I just cursed James… What's wrong with me?" He asked himself. His body was shaking and he couldn't stop. "Why?"

The voice returned, and he was not in the mood to listen to him. _'Just calm down. Now see, that James won't be able to find you. I told you and told you, but you wouldn't listen. I'm not a dark wizard, boy. I've seen enough death in my life to last you, me and the world a lifetime or two. You know, I had a map that me and my brother stole that would show you where every person was in the school and all the passageways, but this was the only room that a name wouldn't show up.'_

"J-james has a map like that." He spoke aloud. He wasn't aware that he was talking to the voice that was making him go crazy. He was starting to notice that he couldn't breathe very well. "He calls it the Marauders Map."

'_Are you serious?! But… we gave that map to Harry. How'd your cousin get his dirty hands on it?'_

"He stole it from his dad."

For a moment the voice didn't speak up. Then, _'his old man's name wouldn't happen to be Harry Potter would it?'_

It was strange to hear that coming from a voice. "Yeah, he is. How do you know that?"

The voice stopped speaking.

"Are you still there? Don't tell me you're going to leave me now when I'm talking to you."

'_Who's that kid's mom?'_

"Ginny Potter. She's my dad's little sister."

'_And your name? What is it? You never told me.'_

"Ah, it's Fred, or… Fredrick Weasley."

'_Heh, how ironic… we have the exact same name. My name is Fred Weasley, too.'_

Fred felt a little weird now. His head was throbbing again, and to be able to share a name with a voice… was he just losing his mind and really just talking to himself? Had he been this entire time? Or maybe-

"You wouldn't happen to have a twin brother named George, would you?" He asked slowly.

'_Yeah! He's my younger twin!'_

Fred couldn't believe this. "That means you're my uncle… I'm not losing my mind, maybe… You've been dead for nineteen years."

'_I can't be.'_

"You're not a ghost… I can't see you, yet you know who my family is when it comes to my aunts and uncles, but you are unaware of what happened after you died. My dad said you were killed in a bad experiment."

'_No way! I was in the middle of the fight. I wonder if I can show you.' _

That horrible feeling of his head spinning started up again. Flashes of pictures raced through his head. Blood, his father, running… lights flashing, people falling to the ground… dead, and seeing his uncle Percy before blacking out.

Sweat dripped from every pore in his body. He tried to stand up, but he stumbled back down onto the couch. He felt that he was going to be physically sick. A toilet suddenly appeared before him and he threw up in it. This room was truly amazing, but the things he had seen… when had all that happen? Was that the war that Reiner mentioned before? Why had they never been told of such horrible times?

'_Did that make you sick again?'_

"That was… violent… How could someone live through that?" Fred choked out. He was watched people die in his mind.

'_You shouldn't cry. Apparently, this was well before your time. You will never have to live through what we had to. Afraid to be alive, most were.'_

Fred wiped his eyes, shocked to find that tears had come over. He'd never cried in his life that he could remember, but those images, watching people just being killed left and right… it was horrifying, even to him.

'_But at least now you know I'm going to intentionally hurt you. I couldn't mess with my nephew… especially if he was named after me. Kind of a downer to find out I'm dead, though. By the way, my young nephew… You've left that James boy injured back in the common room. You may want to go back and make sure he's not dead. I can feel something's seriously wrong with you. You're body… you can't breathe can you? Let's go get your fixed up before you die.'_

Fred forced himself up again. "You're right."

'_Another thing, nephew, now you can start your illegal animagus training. Nobody can reach you in here, even if they know you're in here.'_

**A/N: this was a pretty long chapter for me :) Of course, this chapter is sort of confusing, it's better explained in the next chapter, which is done as well. Bonus! Haha. **


	5. The Solution

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the story line. This is just for fun *smiles***

Chapter 5

When Fred left the room, he noticed that the corridor was dark. _'How long was I in there for?'_

'_Ah, that would probably be my fault, nephew. I wasn't sure how showing my memories to you would work, assuming it even worked at all, and it took a long time. But it gave you the shock you needed to wake up from that illusion you were trapped in, at least temporarily.'_

'What do you mean?'

'_I mean, I can feel that you're poisoned! Something's messing with your mind and your breathing is really messed up. For some reason, I can feel what you're feeling the more I'm in here.'_

Fred stopped at the Fat Lady's portrait, cutting off his conversation with his Uncle's… he could only call his a spirit for now. She was giving him quite the look. "You've given everyone quite a scare, young man. Everyone's out looking for you. What on Earth have you been doing?" She asked.

"N-nowhere. Fiddlemix." He stuttered. His body wouldn't stop shaking. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. His head was light and spinning, his chest was tight and he was still having difficulty breathing. Sweat was trickling down his face now.

When he walked in, the few people hanging around in there turned and quickly stopped their conversations to stare at him with horrified expressions. The attention was making him feel uncomfortable.

Victoire stood up slowly, her wand out at him. "There you are." She said. "Everyone's been looking for you, Fred. They're all worried about you." Her eyes never left his.

He looked at everyone who was in the room. Louis was sitting around Shilus and Will. Rose looked at him for a moment and then looked down to the floor. "What's the matter?" He asked Victoire, his attention turning back to her.

She took a slow step towards him. "You've been poison. This poison makes a person hallucinate by not letting oxygen get to the lungs and brain, not to mention it infects the blood."

This would make sense to him, since he could barely breathe and his head never stopped spinning. "So… what am I supposed to do?" He asked.

She didn't have her usual strict face and narrowed blue eyes, but instead her face was soft and understanding. "First, give me your wand." She said, holding out her hand.

He pulled it out and held it in his hand. He could feel the tension as every pair of eyes darted to the wand in his hand. He looked back at Victoire, who looked almost scared.

"That's it, just hand it to me."

He took the required steps to her before stopping a foot in front of her. He flipped it in his hand and, slowly, placed the grip in his cousin's hand.

Once she had the wand in her hand, she tucked it away and the tension lifted. Surely he hadn't done anything that bad to cause this fear within the common room. He was awake when he put James in the body bind curse.

She lightly grabbed his hand, but it startled him and he jerked away from her. "What are you doing?" He asked her. He wasn't a very sociable person, and that included being touched. He let James get away with it just because he knew better than to try and fight him off.

"You have to go to the hospital wing. I have to take you there since I'm Head Girl and in your house. Now come with me, please."

He glared at her. "Fine, but don't grab my hand… I'm not a child. I know my way." She nodded and led him out of the Gryffindor common room and into the dark stairwell. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Around eleven." She replied.

He quit talking now, not because he didn't have anything to say, but because he found that when talked, he could breathe even less than when he wasn't. In fact, he didn't know where they were… he felt so sick. After walking up and down different sets of stairs, he couldn't walk anymore. He had no breath left to move and ended up just collapsing on the ground.

"Fred?!" Victoire fell to the ground when she tried to catch him. She tried to get him back on his feet, but she could tell that wasn't going to happen. His head was physically moving from side to side. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He couldn't talk… he couldn't hear… he couldn't breathe… and, he wasn't sure whether or not it was because it was dark out, but he couldn't see anymore either. He was choking, he knew that much.

He could hear Victoire cursing words that would have sent her mother into shock. In a moment, he was floating along the corridor. He could still see and hear for the time being, and knew that Victoire was moving as fast as she could with him.

Eventually, they made it to the hospital wing where Madam Delina rushed over to the two. "Thank God. Too much longer and it could have been too late. Set him on that bed there, dear. Professor Reiner, please assist these three the best you can." She replied in a hurried tone.

The brighter lights came on and Fred could now see Reiner walking over with three people with lime green robes on… healers. It must be worst that he thought. "Don't worry, kiddo, we're going to fix you up nice." He said with a faint smile. They were peeling his sweat covered cloths off and somehow managed to get him into some hospital garb. They even took off his shoes and socks.

One of the healers spoke up. "Look at his eyes. They're almost completely glossed over with the white color you spoke of, Sir." The female healer, one in training it looked like, said to Reiner.

"Yes they are. We need to get the antidote into his blood immediately." He said in a very serious tone.

Fred could feel himself opening and closing his mouth like he were a fish stranded on land. But in the background he could hear someone yelling from nearby. "Oi! You guys better fix him up right!"

Fred tried to sit up quickly to see who it was, even though he knew good and well that it was James, but Reiner and the others pushed him back down. "You can't be doing that." One of the healers said impatiently. Then, he felt something tight go across his chest. "No more jumping around or you're going to speed up the process."

"We've got to do it the muggle way. It's proved to be many times quicker if it's placed strait into the bloodstream. We're ready, so would you get him to try and drink it first?" The last of the three healers asked.

Reiner shook his head. "Look, he can't even breathe properly. If I tried that now, he'd choke for sure."

The woman healer sighed and held up some bag with a tan colored liquid moving slowly in it. She clipped it onto a metal pole and then grabbed something that was hanging off of it. It looked like a very small needle. It seemed light the others had similar items within their possessions. "Close your eyes. You're going to feel a bit of pain for a while so don't jump around."

At first he felt a few pinches, one in each arm and one down around each of his ankles. He knew what they were doing, they were directly putting the antidote into his blood because, one; he couldn't drink it and two; because apparently taking it by mouth would take too long.

When the antidote started to go in, it hurt more that the needles. He tried to squirm to think of something else, but he couldn't move due to the magic strap around his chest.

The head healer of the group, a middle ages man with graying black hair put another needle in him before using some magic tape to make it stay. It sat on the top of his right hand and had a small reader on it. It gave them an idea how much of the poison was still lingering in his blood. "You'll need to leave that in there, son. I'm not a fan of these muggle tricks, but I will admit that they come in handy sometimes."

The man straitened up. "It odd that your fever reducing potion was tampered with, Madam, because we've had a rare few cases with this specific type of poisoning, most occurring within the last month. We couldn't save the first one because we weren't sure what the poison was, but thankfully, Mr. Reiner here was able to figure out what it was and how to counter it before the semester started."

Fred opened his eyes and glanced at all the tubes that lead up to him. The potion, once in his body, started to burn. He let out a small cry, which forced Madam Delina over to him. "Is he supposed to be in a rush of pain like this?"

"Unfourtunatly, yes. The patients say it feels like fire burning in their veins, but once the poison is gone they feel better. He'll be very weak for a few days and probably sleep through most of it, but he'll be fine, you'll see." The head healer replied.

He wasn't joking. Fred, who never cried, even when he broke his arm when he was five, couldn't stop the tears from spilling over. He rolled his head on the pillow and stretched his neck, but it wasn't doing him any good. It felt like they tied up his arms and legs as well.

"Once we get the poison level down, I'll have to leave. I will leave one healer here to watch until he's fully recovered."

Reiner leaned over him and pushed Fred's hair back to see if it would calm him down. It did, because he quit thrashing his head about and for the first time, took a deep gulp of air.

"There, see? Take this while you can breathe, but you have to stay calm or you won't be able to." Reiner spoke as he tipped the small bottle's contents into Fred's mouth. The Fiery contents ripped down his throat and rested in his stomach. "Good," he said when Fred closed his eyes.

"Minerva called his parents up to the castle earlier. They'll be up in her office." Madam Delina commented to the healers and Reiner. "She wouldn't have seen the sparks that I sent out for Professor Miller and Mr. Lowe who were looking in the Forbidden Forest. But Professor Longbottom should be with them." She looked over at Victoire, who was trying to keep the severely injured James in his bed and away from Fred. "My dear, would you go tell them that we've got him and taken care of him? I think it would be okay if they came to see their son now."

Victoire set a spell on James, causing him to stop moving. "Yes, Madam Delina. I will see to my aunt and uncle." She said as she quickly strode out of the Hospital Wing.

Reiner watched as Fred's breathing became fairly even and slow. "He's asleep." He said to the others before taking his hand off the boy's head and walking over to James. He took the spell off, but James just lay where he was, sulking. He stood, deciding not to take the seat next to the bed. "Don't be sore at her. They thought you were dead, too. Fred got you pretty good, didn't he?"

James glanced up with narrowed brown eyes. "You said he won't remember what he did, right?"

Reiner scratched his chin. "Well… He'll remember what he thinks he did to you. And from what I can tell… he must not think it was that big of a deal since he jumped up when he heard you. Probably thinks he just gave you a little curse, so he wanted to know why you were in here in your own bed."

"Can we leave it at that? I'll make sure nobody tells him. He was sick… he wasn't Fred when he did that."

Reiner nodded. "I agree. But it will only work if everyone agrees to it. And as of right now, only the Gryffindors know what happened. I'll let Professor Longbottom know about it when he comes."

James thanked him and sighed, moving his feet. "It's a good think we've got a bone specialist here or I'd probably not been able to walk for a month. Madam Delina said I'd be out and ready for the Quidditch tryouts. Will Fred be out by next week?"

Reiner nodded. "Oh yeah. He'll be in here for… maybe three more days. There's no classes tomorrow so that the Aurors can search the school, but you all have to make it up on Saturday."

James tried to sit up, but gave up after a moment. Victoire had worn him out, _'her evil scheme,'_ he thought sorely. "He didn't even say anything. He just… blew up the soup I gave him… in his hand. It just exploded in his hand. Then he ran around the couch, and when I called out his name, the fireplace behind me exploded, things started to fly around… I got hit here with the knife I was given by the house elves." He said, pointing to the bandage wrapped tightly around his neck. "I got whacked in the head with a brick and I guess the rest of the fireplace just landed on my back after I got knocked out." He looked up at Reiner. "Sir?"

"Hm?"

"If it would have been someone else… someone I didn't know very well maybe, then I would have been able to counter it and knock them out. But… Fred can use magic without talking, and I guess he can handle magic without a wand better than the rest of us. It was like that random under age magic when you're five… and you blow up a tree or catch a chair on fire."

Reiner nodded. "I see. Well, good thing your spine was able to be reconnected… and that both of you will be okay. The serious issue is how did potions in a tight security area become tampered with? That's why the Aurors are coming. I think they're sending one over tonight."

"Hmm. Dad won't come. Well, I think he won't come, anyways. He's head of the Department and he'll probably feel that since this is happening a lot… Oh, I heard you guys talking, he'll want to stay behind and try and figure it out. He'll send the next in line… which… would be my Uncle Ron."

At that moment, a small group of people hurried in. James watched as his nervous aunt and unusually calm looking uncle went to stand around Fred's bed. Along with them came his Uncle Ron, who was discussing something with Professor Longbottom. McGonagall and Victoire were right behind them, but after Victoire stopped to look at her younger cousin, she came back over to sit with James.

"Hello, Professor." She said to Reiner. She sat in the chair that was next to James. "Aunt Melanie was crying. They thought that he might already be dead because he hadn't shown up. Of course, they don't know about you." She said, glancing back at Fred's bed.

"About that-" He stopped when Longbottom and Ron turned and walked over to them.

"They're not in good shape as it is, Neville. Mel isn't, anyways. Always stressed out, worrying about her kids. Roxanne is just like George… runs off to who knows where. Can't figure that girl out. I don't think George minds, though. Ah, Hello James. Got in some trouble, did you?" He asked with a smirk.

James glanced up at Longbottom. "Sorry, Uncle Ron, could I have a word with Professor Longbottom?" He waited, but when Ron didn't move, he continued, "alone, please."

Ron gave him a stern look. "Not hiding anything, are you?"

"No."

Ron continued to glare at him. "Yeah, right. I believe that." He muttered as he went to stand over by George.

Longbottom looked down at him. "What is it?"

"About earlier… I don't want Fred to know what happened. And I don't want anyone to tell him, either. He'd be so mad if he knew what really happened. The Professor here said that he looked shocked that I ended up in here, which means he must have though whatever he did… it wasn't something bad." Longbottom glanced over at Fred's bed. "Please." James forced out. He didn't like to beg unless he was joking.

Longbottom sighed. "Yes, I suppose that would be best. I will take Victoire back to the common room and inform everyone that they are not to bring it up."

Victoire stood up. "I'll tell everyone that you're both okay."

"No letters about what happened to me, either."

"I know." She muttered before following Professor Longbottom out.

Ron slipped back over, this time followed by George. "Well well well, this isn't much of a surprise to see this one up here, is it, Ron?" George said with a smirk.

"Not really. I'm surprised he hasn't been given his own personal bed." Ron continued.

"I think this small area should be dedicated to the Potters. Always in and out of the Hospital Wing, they are." George said. "I can't even count how many times Harry ended up in here. Falling fifty feet until smashing against the ground-"

"All the bones missing out of his arm-"

"Cracked skull-"

"Choking on things that don't belong in his mouth." They both sighed with smirks.

"Good times." George finished. "I suppose… it seems like with James, Albus… and even Fred now joining in, they'll need to make a Hospital Wing club."

James just stared at his uncles as if they'd lost it. "Are you both mad? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Didn't know your old man practically lived up here, did ya?" George said with a smirk. "Tell you what. You ask him about it during Christmas, that way he can't try and lie his way out. Me and Ron should be there at a minimum. Hermione may take Harry's side."

"I agree." Ron said.

James tried to flip over, but his spine was still mending in his back. He yelped and gave up on moving. George leaned a little closer. "You… what've you done to yourself?"

James stared into his deep, blue eyes. He knew lying to his Uncle George was a feat he had yet to perfect. If he didn't so much as lie, but not tell the truth, he could get past him. "Broke my back nearly in half. I drank something nasty to get it taken care of, but I was told it would take all night to completely heal."

"Oh yeah? How'd you go about doing that?" George asked.

"Well…" He was caught now. To his amazement and luck, Professor Reiner jumped in.

"Fell off his broom. He was out there flying around when he wasn't really supposed to. Lucky he's not dead, this one."

Ron fell for it, but George had caught the delay in James's voice. "Yeah, okay. I'll let you get away with that just because you've got a teacher backing you us. Course, Harry fell fifty feet off his broom in his… like… third year, I think it was."

James perked up. "Really?"

"I ain't telling you any more that that since you lied. Only lying to everyone but me is okay."

James shook his head and closed his eyes. "Right. Well, I need my beauty sleep. Don't want to end up looking like you old guys."

Ron just shook his head and, following George and Reiner, went back over to Fred.

The Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, was waiting for them to come back over. "Has he gone to sleep?" She asked. They all nodded. "Poor boy. Just like his father, I suppose. Well, anyways. Mr. Weasley-"

"What?" Both Ron and George said at the same time.

"No no… Weasley the Auror. I want you to do a complete sweep of the school for any dark items. You will be given permission to enter all common rooms, and I want you to check the kitchens first, since that is where the food is. Reiner, you will assist. I want you to check every potion and antidote in the school. Anything liquid as well. Don't want another Weasley poisoned."

Ron smiled a bit at the bad memory, which was also a blessing because during that time he had dumped Lavender Brown.

XxX

When Fred woke up, it wasn't because he was ready to, or because he wanted to, either. He had been forced awake by a ton of noise coming from nearby. "But why can't we come in? They said he was going to be okay." Someone said.

"Because I said so. There's been enough traffic in here with the healers, Aurors, and teachers. I cannot allow anymore of you in."

"Well, if Fred has all those visitors, then we'll just be James's visitors."

"Nice try." Madam Delina said. "Now shoo."

"But James is my brother! I should be able to come in and see him at least!" Albus yelled.

Fred felt something warm leave his hand. "Madam Delina. I think it would be okay for them to come in and visit, for a few moments at least." He knew that voice, but it sounded out of place at Hogwarts.

He could hear the nurse giving up. "Fine. But five minutes only."

He could hear the sound of many feet coming in his direction. Most his family didn't even know him, why they'd come to see him was beyond him. "Victoire said he looked sick but would be okay. He doesn't look okay with his eyes all dark like that." Rose muttered.

"That's rude, Rose." Dominique whispered. "Just because he looks bad doesn't always mean that he is."

"That's right. But… what happened to him? And why is James hurt?" Molly asked. "Since I'm not in Gryffindor, I don't know."

"Well, James went out for a bit of a fly after he brought back Fred to the common room since he was just sleeping. Skipping, like usual. But somehow he slipped off his broom and slammed into the ground." Victoire explained.

"No way! James is an excellent flyer. I can't believe that he'd just slip off his broom like a beginner." Dominique accused. "That story doesn't sound right at all."

Of course the Gryffindors knew a little more to the story, but they weren't allowed to say anything so they all stuck to that story.

'_He… fell off his broom?'_ Fred thought.

'_That's a story. Looks like they're not allowed to tell the others.'_

'_But… then what did I do to James?'_

"Then why's he got a bandage around his neck?"

"Remember that storm the other night?" Victoire explained. "There were a few twigs and sticks out there. Landed on one, he did. It went right through part of his throat."

"But… you found him?" Dominique eyed her sister.

This was true. Victoire had found James, but not outside. She came back to try and get him to go to class when she saw all the destruction and found him bleeding heavily on the ground, unconscious. Thankfully, she had came it mere moments after it happened, missing Fred by seconds. "Yes."

In truth, she and the teachers were the only ones who knew about what happened. The other students sort of came to the idea when they say the damage and blood and the news that Fred had been poisoned and wasn't himself.

"Please don't worry about any of that. They're both fine." Melanie said with a smile.

"Has he woken up yet?" Louis asked, nodding at Fred.

"No. He still shakes when the antidote enters his blood and finds the poison. I was told that when the poison and antidote meet, it hurts terribly and feels like he's on fire… but there's no other way to help." His mother explained.

"Is that what all these silly things are?" Rose asked, lightly touching the rubber tube closest to her.

"Yes. The healers were experimenting with incorporating some of the muggle healing with their own. I'm thankful that they did, even if he has to go through a little pain. They told me that if they had tried to just feed him the antidote like with most, it wouldn't have taken effect until it was too late. They've had cases similar to this the past few months and the first one the met up against, well, he died."

They didn't say anything about Fred after that. "So… is James asleep too?"

Melanie smiled. "He was earlier."

"Earlier? It's barely eight." Victoire commented.

"I think the healers woke him up when they were replacing these bags here." She said as she pointed to the four bags hanging around them. "Of course, he's tied down, so he's stuck over in that bed. That and his spine's not completely healed yet, either. Twenty-four hours is what the nurse said. He caused quite a commotion himself so he's stuck."

"Where's my dad and Uncle George? Victoire said they were both here as well." Rose asked.

"Hmm… Knowing them, I'm sure they're not doing what they're supposed to do. Probably eating, if you ask me."

Rose nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to go look for them." She leaned over. "Hope you feel better, Fred." She said to him. "Could you say that James as well, since he seems to be asleep as well-"

"He's not sleeping, Rosie." Albus cut in, who had been staring at his brother's still form with half-lidded eyes since they entered. "He's faking."

"Wow, you sure know James well, don't you?" Louis added.

Albus walked over to his brother and stared at the calm face. "He could fake being dead. There's no way he's slept through that. He's a light sleeper, I know that much for sure." He forced one of Jame's brown eyes open and bent over so the others couldn't see what he was about to do.

"No… Albus DON'T!" A roar came from James.

"Shouldn't fake sleep when people have come to see you." Albus said in a more controlled tone, but it hinted with sarcasm.

"You dirty cheat. That's just sick." James muttered.

"What'd you do, Al?" Rose asked when she walked over to him.

Albus turned and looked at her with his big, innocent green eyes. "Nothing."

"Lair! I'd never stoop so low as to something like that, you evil person." James said quickly. "And I'm an invalid! Look! I can't even move my hands."

"James dear, that's because you were using your wand to try and get over here when you were asked to stay there." Melanie said kindly.

"But… He's all better…. Why am I at the other side of the hospital wing? There are plenty of open beds just a bit closer." He practically had to yell to talk to her.

"Because you're nosy. And… the healers needed the extra room to work on him." She said. "Ah, your time's about up. It would make Madam Delina very happy if she didn't have to yell at you children to leave."

They nodded and all started to leave. Victoire, being the last in there, lightly grabbed her aunt's hand. "You should come eat breakfast with us. He'll be okay. He's got James here to keep him company." She said kindly.

With a little more coaxing and one big push from James, she agreed and left to eat breakfast. She pushed the short bangs out of her son's closed eyes before taking off. Fred could hear the nurse walk in, mutter something about good children, and leave again.

"Freddie, you're awake, aren't you?" James asked, hovering over his cousin.

Fred's eyes slowly opened. "I thought you were all strapped up like me?" He choked out, his voice cracking. His throat was so sore it hurt to speak.

"What kind of person would I be if simple tricks like that kept me at bay?" James said and lightly took a seat on Fred's bed, careful not to disturb the tubes. "We're quite a pair, eh? Both strapped to beds."

Fred closed his eyes. "I suppose." He tried to take a deep breath, but it seemed he was still only allowed to take small ones. "Hey… James?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened to you? I know you didn't fall off your broom." When James didn't answer, that just made Fred angry. "Just tell me!"

"No." James said flatly.

"Why?"

James had to think about it for a moment. "Because… you don't need to worry about it right now. Just rest. Getting worked up won't make it any better."

Fred's eyes shot open. I just cursed you with the body bind curse, so how did you get a stick through your neck and fall fifty feet? I left you in the common room."

James turned and looked at him with confused eyes. "So… I guess you do remember." Although James knew that Fred might have been caught in an illusion and made up something in his mind, he wasn't sure how he would explain the rest until Fred continued.

"Yeah, I do. I cursed you because you got all open mouthed about the voice again." He said slowly. "Then I left you there."

"Then I went to look for you." James continued. This had landed perfectly into his lap. No need to worry him with what really happened. "I couldn't find you in the castle so I flew around outside and a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere and knocked me out. Victoire was with me since she undid the curse and brought me up here."

The story seemed to match up well. "Oh…" He was about to leave it alone when he thought of something. "Wait… why didn't you look for me on the map?"

James felt the snag, and it was a big one. He had no idea what to say.

"You couldn't see me on it, could you?"

Bingo. Of course he hadn't looked at the map, he was trapped under a ton of bricks. "Yeah… I don't know why but you just… disappeared."

Fred's face suddenly changed. "Perfect."

James couldn't tell what emotion it was. It looked pained, but happy, like he was irritated and yet pleased about something that came from that lie. "What is?"

Fred looked up slowly. "I found…" He felt himself getting tired, his eyes dropping. "Found a place… to practice. You don't have to look. Not anymore." He closed his eyes.

"Freddie?" James muttered, confused at what his cousin just said. He reached over him to poke his cheek when a sudden voice spooked him and made him jump.

"Mr. Potter! How did you get out of your bed?!" Madam Delina's voice yelled out.

"W-well- Oh look! What's that outside?!" He quickly jumped off Fred's bed and darted to the exit where he was suddenly bound by ropes. His poor attempt at a distraction had failed. They always usually worked when he was actually thinking but when caught unawares… even the great James Potter was bound to mess up.

"Don't even try it. Should have known better, putting such basic spells on you. Back in bed."

James just groaned as he was forced back to bed where more restraints were put on.

**A/N: Chapter 5- done. I've got to try and get as many as I can out before my HP faze wears off. I did go see the new movie yesterday. It was good... a little lacking but as we've come to expect, they all are basically. But the beginning is good fun, that and the Slug party. The ending was what many people may be upset about, I think. That's where it lacks.**


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